Ages and Maturity
by Comment person
Summary: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." My final Phineas and Ferb story. Rated M for a reason. Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh and Dan Povernmire own the copyrights.
1. The Former Prodigal Son

Author's note: Here it is...my last Phineas and Ferb story. As always, enjoy and leave a review if you wish.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Former Prodigal Son<strong>_

"Nick, how long have you known me?"

"A long time now, why?"

"Then you know damn well what I drink."

"Sorry, we just ran out of that, thanks to those wanna-be punkers." Nick snarled with disgust as he cleaned a glass cup with a new towel rag.

Cullen raised the glass, gulped down his apple juice, and placed it back his coaster.

The club was packed at night times, filled with truckers sharing stories over their dinner, men gawking and hooting at the show girls dancing on the pole stages, girls dressed in tight leather suits that catered alcoholic drinks to each table and the 'wanna-be punkers' either sulking in the dark booths or hanging around the tables eating their food.  
>Somehow, the two were able to block out the loud beat boxing that boomed throughout the club.<p>

Nick glanced over his shoulder as he filled up a glass of beer, and found Cullen examining the girls dancing on poles.

"See anyone you like?" Nick wondered as he instinctively pulled the filled up glass of beer away, and served it to a man beside Cullen.

"No, no I don't." Cullen stated plainly.

"You sure? Most of them are single, and they are pretty good-looking." Nick added, leaning on the bar top and trying to spot which girl Cullen was checking out.

"They're not my type," Cullen told him, "speaking of girls, how's the family?"

"Good, my daughter is going to elementary school," Nick informed, "and my wife-"

"Is right here." finished up another voice.  
>Cullen and Nick turned to see a woman approach behind the counter with an apron tied in front of her cloths.<br>Nick smiled as he stood up and greeted his wife.

"How are you dear?" Nick asked as she leaned up and pecked his lips.

"Couldn't be any better." she said happily and wrapped her arms around Nick's neck. Cullen just looked away, and Nick's wife noticed.

"Don't be shy Cullen," she cooed at him, "you know you're never a bother."

"I reckon not to watch couples, miss." Cullen chuckled.

"Call me by my name, you biker!" she laughed and leaned into Nick's arms.

"If you insist-"

"Hey everyone!" a man called out from the front door. Everyone's eyes fell upon the man who requested their attention.

"A biker and a red-head are having a fight!" the man shouted and ran out the club. About half the men in the room rose and dashed out the front door.

"Damn it, not again." Cullen groaned as he slid off his bar stool and started heading out. Nick gave a pleading look to his wife in his arms.

"Oh fine, I'll take care of the bar." his wife gave in, and escaped his arms. Nick quickly exited from the bar, and found Cullen who was waiting for him. Without acknowledging each other, the two made over to the door.

* * *

><p><strong>OUTSIDE...<strong>

The pack of men were cheering and gathered around a cleared circle, where two men were already in the middle of a fist fight.

The boy with long, messed up red hair was tossed to the pavement again, landing on his front. This move only earned the laughter of the sudden audience that had gathered around. He slowly shook off the pain in his body, and slowly started to rise. He tasted copper on his lips, and wiped away the blood with a scratched-up fist.

"Come on asshole, is that all?" his opponent demanded in a scruffy voice as he quickly approached the boy. When he was close enough, the red-head sent an upper cut to the man's chin. He suddenly felt the warm, firm grasp around his fingers, right before the other man started to push down and crush them in his hold.

Quickly, he sent a jab at the man's firm stomach, which caused the man to yelp and loose his hold on his hand. The boy quickly got up as the man recovered and readied himself.

Suddenly, two hands reached behind both of their heads, and slammed back together.

* * *

><p>(...,,,...,,,)<p>

Cullen released the two guys' heads and watched as they both recoiled, covering their faces from the sudden head-butt. The crowd around them started to boo and shout at him for ending the fight, but Cullen didn't give crap.

"Fight's over, everyone inside," Nick's voice was able to hush them all, "or the motel club closes early tonight."

The crowd grumbled as they quickly dispersed and flocked back into the club building with Nick following right behind them, leaving a few bystanders and the three men.

"Phineas, you alive?" Cullen asked the red-headed boy with a triangular shaped skull.

Phineas scratched his out-grown red hair and spat on the pavement.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Phineas simply groaned, holding his bruised arm.

"Now who started this?" Cullen questioned.

"This lousy fucker insulted my ride." the biker explained, pointing his thick finger at Phineas.

"I only said-"

"Both of you shut up, it's over now." Cullen interrupted before Phineas could say anything.

"Not until this lousy son of a bitch pays!" the biker snarled, and lunged at Phineas, only to be caught in the neck.  
>The biker gagged and reflexively tried to pull away the hand that was choking him.<p>

Cullen's hand clasped around the bikers neck, threatening to squeeze the breath out of him.

"Listen to me," Cullen snapped and glared into the biker's eyes. Meanwhile, Phineas silently glowered at both Cullen and the man.

"You can call him an asshole, you can call him a scumbag, or even a piece of fucking shit; but you _never...EVER..._call him a 'son of a bitch', got that?" Cullen warned.

"Fine whatever, you _punk_." the biker hissed through gritted teeth. Cullen released the man, who fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Wait a second..." Cullen muttered, and snatched the man off the ground. Before the biker could fight back, Cullen had shoved up his long-sleeve, and exposed a purple tattoo of a snake with white fangs slithering up his arm.

"It's good to see some of the Vipes survived." Cullen mumbled. Phineas was lost with the conversation, but he knew Cullen's words hit home, for the biker ceased struggling, and stared at Cullen in the eyes.

"How did you..." the biker began to say. Phineas watched as Cullen pulled out his left arm from his leather jacket, and showed the silver tattoo of a Celtic Cross with a pointed sword at the bottom end. The biker's face immediately melted into happiness as he gave a toothy grinned at Cullen, who gave a small smile.

"Am I really standing in front of Cullen?" the biker wondered, somehow knowing Cullen's name.

"Yes, yes you are."

"What about the boy?" the biker asked in a serious, and gave a quizzical look at Phineas. Phineas returned the look with a stern stare, not sure about what else would happen.

"He's with me." Cullen declared.

"You put up a pretty good fight boy." the biker complimented as he rolled down his sleeve. "Oh and Cullen?"

"Yea?"

"Make sure he doesn't become a punk biker...ok?"

"Don't worry he won't." Cullen assured, "now let's all go inside, and I'll buy you a beer from Nick."

"Nick is here too?" the biker asked in shock as he headed to the club.

"He freak'n owns the motel!" Cullen proclaimed as he sent the biker off to the club. Phineas watched as his face went from kind to sour, and he was looking directly at Phineas.

"What on Earth did you say to him?" Cullen demanded, looking down at Phineas's eyes.

"I said his motorcycle needs a new paintjob." Phineas repeated the words that had gotten him into the fight. Cullen just sighed and shook his head.

"Phineas Flynn," Cullen started to say, "you little...clever boy."

Phineas was taken aback at his choice of words.

"Please tell me you used some of my moves?"

"I tried, but I don't have the hang of them yet." Phineas answered, still trying to will the pain away.

"At least you tried Phineas." Cullen chuckled and messed up his long red hair. Phineas forcefully pushed away Cullen's arm, and gave him a faint smile.

"Oh what would your mother say to me now..." Cullen thought aloud as they both headed back towards the club.

(...,,,...,,,)

* * *

><p>Phineas leaned back in the chair, keeping an eye on Cullen who was talking to the bartender and the biker who he previously fought. Feeling stressed, he forced his eyes over to the girls that twisted and danced on the poles with their just-about exposed bodies, but that only added a sick feeling inside of his aching body.<p>

Slowly, he leaned forward, and pressed his fingers on his forehead. He felt his head throb against his pressed fingers as he struggled to think.

He tried his best to recall all that happened over the past year, but the booming beats in the club kept on distracting him from recalling everything. He then felt a tap on his head, and glanced up.

"You ready?" Cullen asked over the music.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Phineas declared, and got up from his seat. The two made their way through the crowd, and out the front door. Phineas felt the cool air surround him and his head become clear as they walked over to their parked motorcycles.

"So what do you think of 'Nick's Motel & Club'?" Cullen asked as he mounted his black Harley Davidson Softail.

"It's a good place to stop by." Phineas figured as he mounted his silver V-Rod motorcycle. Cullen laughed at his statement.

"So what's the next stop?" Phineas asked as he slid his key into the key slot, twisted it, and started up the V-Rod that was given to him. The motorcycle rumbled to life, and the front headlight lit up the dark in front of the vehicle.

Cullen reached into his leather jacket, and pulled out the traveling map that he had been using their whole year of traveling. Phineas watched as Cullen unfolded the map, and silently located the next stop.  
>Without a word, Cullen folded up the map, placed it in his jacket, and started up his motorcycle.<p>

"So where are we going?" Phineas asked again as Cullen backed out his motorcycle. Phineas followed suit, and rode up beside Cullen's motorcycle. Cullen turned at him, and was met with a serious stare.

"You should know." Cullen said his words. Phineas thought back to all of the places that he had been to over the past year. Either it was the night air, or he had become more oblivious than he was, because he couldn't recall which city that they were going to visit. He thought for half a minute before he talked again.

"Where?" Phineas finally demanded. Cullen leaned over towards Phineas.

"Your home." Cullen said as he returned upright on his Harley Davidson Softail. Phineas's mind suddenly clicked, and he remembered. His heart started to beat faster from excitement, and his mind started to remember where how his year-long biker journey began.

"Jeez, that looks like a bright sunrise in the East." Cullen muttered, looking at the yellow rays of light coming over the horizon. Phineas glanced eastward, and had to squint from the light.

"Good thing I have these." Cullen said, and put on some Choppers. Phineas pulled out his own Chopper sunglasses that Cullen had given him a long time ago, which made looking at the bright light much easier.

"Look out Tri-State Area," Cullen remarked as he pulled into the street, Phineas guiding his V-Rod right beside Cullen's motorcycle, "cause Phineas Flynn is coming home!"

As the two rode onto the highway, Phineas couldn't help but remember everyone that he had left behind, and could not bare to think of what they thought of him over the past year.

The two rode their motorcycles down the highway towards the sunrise. The early morning sun didn't have any affect on them, since they both were wearing Choppers.

Phineas and Cullen continued to ride, traveling straight towards the distant city of Danville.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Rolling Out the Welcome Mat

Author's notes: Bon Jovi...that is all.

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><p><strong>Rolling Out the Welcome Mat<strong>

The sight of Danville's skyline of skyscrapers on the morning horizon brought back so many memories of Phineas's hometown. Although Phineas wanted to just gaze and savor the sight of his home from a distance, he knew that he had to keep his eyes on the road, especially since he was driving a V-Rod motorcycle.

Unfortunately, the morning had also brought one of the most popular highway difficulties for every person in a vehicle: rush hour traffic.

All around him, cars, trucks, vans, and other types of cars were crammed close together, waiting for the vehicles in front to move ahead.

Phineas had once thought that whenever there was traffic, there would be a melody of honking horns like he had once imagined, but the only sounds that he heard was the low grumbles of the motors, and the automobiles zooming by on the other side of the highway.

Phineas turned his head to where Cullen was, and found his friend two lanes over to the right, sitting on his Harley Davidson Softail. He also spotted some passengers in some windows looking at Cullen, as well as himself. A few faces showed amazement, while others displayed disbelief; a few number had sneers though. Phineas felt the many eyes concentrating on him, and didn't like the feeling.

Then he heard a faint smack sound on his right.

"Damn it!" Cullen's voice hollered. Phineas quickly glanced over at Cullen, who was wiping his hand on his jeans. "I swear mosquitoes were only created to make you look like you're slapping yourself!" Cullen complained as his hand slapped the back of his neck. Phineas gave a light chuckle.

Suddenly, he realized that everyone inside an automobile was now looking at Cullen, and felt the attention leave him, to his relief.

Phineas knew that Cullen knew he was drawing everyone's stares, and wondered what Cullen thought about all of them.

Then he just remembered, Cullen didn't care what most people thought of him.

The rear end of the green pickup truck in front of him started to move forward, and Phineas carefully edged his motorcycle forward, but only a few meters before he had to stop and wait for the backed-up truck to move. Phineas leaned over his motorcycle to see past the pickup truck, and saw that the whole highway leading straight to Danville was filled with traffic.

"Damn..." Phineas griped as he sat back the motorcycle's seat, "this is gonna be a long morning."

* * *

><p><strong>AROUND NOON...<strong>

Phineas tried to keep his mind on steering, but his eyes couldn't help but stare at the all-too familiar neighborhood houses and lawns. As he came up to the next cross-street, his heart melted when his eyes saw the street with white letters that read: Maple Dr.

He turned left, and continued to cruise on his childhood street. Phineas felt as if he just saw this neighborhood for the first time, but it also felt like déjà-vu.

Almost instinctively, Phineas steered his motorcycle up a driveway, and walked his legs on the ground to stop the rolling motorbike. When his mind snapped back to reality, and he only then recognized the lot that he had drove onto.

The two-story, brown rooftop, yellow sides, crisp cut grass, windows, and even the stairway lead from the front red door to the sidewalk...he knew the house built on a huge mound of grass by heart.

2308 Maple Drive.

Behind him, Cullen pulled into the driveway, and parked his black Harley. Cullen sniffed the air, and let out a deep sigh.

"Ah, welcome home." Cullen sighed.

"It's been too long." Phineas muttered as he turned off his V-rod, and pulled the key out of the ignition.

"One year away from home isn't that long, is it?" Cullen wondered as he shut off his own motorcycle and pulled the key out.

Phineas stepped off his bike and took off the Choppers on his eyes, and tucked them away. He waited for Cullen to dismount his bike. When Cullen did, he expected Phineas to be waiting at the front door, but found him standing right beside.

"Why you waiting for me? It's your home." Cullen stated as he fixed his Choppers.

"Thought you would want to come inside." Phineas suggested. Cullen sighed, simply can't refusing an invitation into the Flynn-Fletcher house by one of them. The two of them walked over the fresh grass, and over to the front door.

It felt strange to walk up to the front door now that he was 5ft. 9in. tall, and he was wearing a leather jacket.

Phineas moved his hand forward, and pressed the little door bell button.

_Ding Dong_

Phineas took a step back and patiently waited behind Cullen. He heard the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer to the door.

"You punk-bikers better not be pulling another prank again..." he heard a familiar female voice scold from the inside. The door swung open, and a furious woman was standing in the doorway. Her face immediately changed from an angry expression to a confused look when she saw the two bikers standing in front of her.

Phineas's mind snapped when he saw the lady.

The lipstick, the eyes, her clothing, the headband in her red hair that hardly ever changed style, and despite the tiny winkles forming under her eyes, her beauty and identity Phineas knew well.

"May I help you gentlemen?" Linda Flynn-Fletcher asked politely.

"Linda, you know better than to call me a punk-biker." Cullen remarked. Linda just gave him a confused expression.

"Oh, you're a real biker then?" Linda asked. Cullen simply nodded.

"Do I know you?" Linda questioned, not sure if she should give the man a punch and slam the door shut.

"Linda," Cullen said as he reached up and removed his Choppers, "it's me."

Phineas watched as Linda's eyes blinked, and a smile formed on her face.

"Cullen Prowl...you sly dog." Linda chuckled as she crossed her arms. Linda's eyes immediately went towards her son, and her face went into shock.

"Phineas, is that you?" Linda asked as she approached him. Cullen stepped aside for her to get a clear view of the grown Phineas Flynn.

Phineas gave a bashful smile as Linda took in how older Phineas appeared; it had been a year since she had last seen him.

"It really is you!" she exclaimed, and wrapped her arms around Phineas's neck and pulled him into a motherly hug. Phineas managed to return his mom's hug, and felt the comfort of hugging his own mother once again.

"Just came by to return him, as promised." Cullen proclaimed, and leaned on the doorway. Linda pulled away from Phineas, and Phineas could see that his mother's eyes were watering up.

"Come in sweetie, your father will be so happy." Linda told him, and turned to walk in. Phineas stepped inside, feeling that it was the first time he had been inside the house. Linda was about to close the door behind her, until she spotted Cullen still leaning on the doorframe.

"What are you waiting for?" Linda asked him.

"Oh, I can come in, too?" Cullen asked as he pushed himself off the doorframe.

"Yes, yes you may." Linda said as Cullen reluctantly entered the house.

After Linda closed the door, she led the two to the kitchen. Phineas spotted his dad eating his lunch on the dining table, and his beloved platypus, Perry, eating his lunch underneath it.

"Phineas?" Lawrence immediately asked, and stood out of his seat. Perry's beak opened, and bits of his food dripped back into his food bowl.

"Hi dad." Phineas said shyly. Lawrence ran over to Phineas, and wrapped him in a tight hug, and rested his chin in Phineas's red hair. Lawrence held onto Phineas, overtook with joy and relief that Phineas had returned safely.

"Uh, you can let go now dad." Phineas spoke after a few seconds.

"Sorry." Lawrence apologized as he released Phineas. Phineas could tell that his dad was acting cautious, since the last conversation he had involved stern talking on one side, and a ranting yells on another.

"How are you son?" Lawrence asked with a light smile, and eyes doing their best not to water up. Phineas had a feeling that the past didn't matter anymore.

"Well, tired at the moment," Phineas yawned, the lack of sleep finally taking its toll, "where's Ferb?"

"He's at school right now." Linda told him. Phineas bitterly recalled Danville High, the high school that he had dropped out of a year ago.

Phineas was about to say something, until another yawn came out of his mouth.

"Why don't you get some rest Phineas?" Cullen offered, "We have to talk about a few things." Cullen was referring to his mom and dad.

"No, I'm fine." Phineas assured him, and snapped his eyes wide open.

"If you say so." Cullen shrugged, and motioned everyone to sit around the dining table. Phineas pulled out the chair and sat down. As he scooted the seat forward, he felt something soft and furry brush against his jeans.  
>He glanced under the table, and found Perry innocently standing there, facing Phineas while his eyes looked the opposite direction.<p>

"There you are Perry." Phineas sighed, and reached down to scratch the platypus.

"Grrgrrgrrgrr." Perry chittered as Phineas scratched Perry involuntary reflex spot. Perry's beaver tail instantly shot up from the reflex.

"Come here boy." Phineas chuckled as he picked Perry up and set him on his lap. When his attention returned to the grown ups, his parents were listening to Cullen sharing their adventures along the West part of the U.S.

"...and then we had to stop at a Joplin Motel for that night." Cullen concluded a story.

"Wait, you took our son into a Joplin Motel?" Linda demanded, a bit enraged. Phineas immediately knew that Cullen was on thin ice, since Joplin Motels are famous for their strippers, show-girls, and girls that were waiting to be hired for a night.

"Yeah, but we didn't hire any of the show girls or strippers that night...or any night actually," Cullen recalled, "but a lot of them flirted with Phineas though."

"Phineas!" Linda gasped, and glared at him. Phineas gulped.

"I didn't return their feelings!" Phineas shot up his right hand as if he were swearing the truth. Cullen started to laugh.

"It's true, this boy didn't even know how to react when the first show-girl started to hit on him." Cullen recalled. Phineas just glared at Cullen as he calmed down his laughter.

"Oh yeah? Then how come you freaked out when you found a stripper in your room, and dragged us to a Motel 6?" Phineas shot back.

"Hey, I don't do that hiring sex-stuff, Lawrence, Linda, you know me." Cullen said, looking at the parents, who both gave faint nods in agreement. "I just came back from drinking my soda at the bar, and I find this horny girl in my bedroom! For Phineas's sake, I grabbed my keys, hauled Phineas's ass outta of his room, checked out both of us, and we drove down to the Motel 6."

"You didn't have to wake me up at two in the morning!" Phineas argued back.

"Hell, I'm surprised none of them were in _your_ room Phineas!"

"You could have slept on the couch in my room instead of...oh wait...never mind." Phineas concluded.

"Never mind what?" Linda questioned.

"Two guys sleeping in a room." Phineas explained, hoping she would get the idea. Instead, she gave the two a puzzled expression.

"Oh, I see." Lawrence told. Linda also glanced at her husband, then back at them.

"Can somebody please just tell me what that means?" Linda demanded, almost losing her calmness.

"It's best if you don't know mom." Phineas yawned. Linda just crossed her arms and glared at Cullen.

"What I do?" Cullen asked, holding up both his hands.

"Well what else did you see on the road?" Lawrence asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Well, I think we should get Phineas to his bedroom before I tell anything else." Cullen suggested, glancing at Phineas, whose eyes were half-closed.

"No I'm fine..." Phineas mumbled, lifting up his head a little.

"Ok then, please tell about our week in L.A. then." Cullen said.

Phineas just droop his head down, eyelids about to close all the way.

"That's it, let's haul him up the stairs." Cullen said as he got up and went over to Phineas. Lawrence also rose, and went to assist.

"No I'm fine..." Phineas repeated himself, but he could feel Perry being removed from his lap, and the two men swing his arms around their shoulders, and the last moments he sensed were his legs climbing up a flight of stairs, and then his back pressing against a soft and comfortable fabric.

(...,,,...,,,)

* * *

><p>Phineas dimly tried to move his arms up, but a solid force restrained his movement. He tried again, but the force held his arms down.<p>

After a minute, lost in tiredness, Phineas managed to open his eyes, and vaguely see what was pushing his arms down.

A blue blanket was spread across him.

Gathering his strength in his arms, he groggily swatted the blanket aside until he fell onto the floor.

Phineas took in the full view of where he had been placed. He was back in his bedroom, laying on top of his raft bed.

He looked around, and discovered that the bedroom hadn't changed at all. Ferb's purple shelved bed, the desk with the computer, the red phone booth, the now-empty fish tank, even Perry's little bed; nothing seemed to have changed over the year.

Feeling at home, and tired again, Phineas just laid on his bed, and closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

Just then, he heard the door open, and the sound of boots against the wooden floor.

"Hey Phineas," he heard a familiar voice talk to him, "get up."

Phineas just groaned as he opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself up.

"What time is it?" Phineas grumbled as he stretched out the kinks in his shoulders.

"It's 2 o'clock." Cullen answered, and leaned against the wall.

"Why are you waking me up?" Phineas demanded as he sat on the edge of his raft bed.

"We're going pick up your brother." Cullen said, and walked out of the room. Phineas slowly got up, and drowsily followed Cullen out, and down the stairs.

"Linda, we're gonna go pick up Ferb now!" Cullen called out.

"Alright then, make sure my boys head straight home afterwards!" Linda called back. Phineas could hear the warning edge in her voice.

"Don't worry!" Cullen answered back as he opened the door and headed out. Phineas stepped out and was about to close the door.

"Don't worry mom." Phineas hollered back to his mom in a ragged voice. Realizing how his voice sounded, he cleared his throat and spoke again. "We'll be back soon!"

"You better be!" Linda shouted from the living room.

"Don't worry mom." Phineas said, and closed the front door.

Phineas felt the dry afternoon air breeze through his long red hair as he walked across the grass, and over to the driveway.  
>Judging from the motorcycle engine roar, Cullen had already mounted his Harley and started it up. Phineas swung his leg over his silver V-Rod, plugged in the key, and started to motor.<p>

Thanks to Cullen's tutoring, Phineas rolled the motorcycle down the driveway, and into Maple Drive's asphalt street. When they were both out, they revved up their engines again, and sped off.

Phineas remembered Danville High. The high school that he had attended for roughly two years before he had dropped out.

He tried to recall the reasons why he had dropped out, but they just seemed so distant, and to him, they really didn't matter anymore.

One thing though that remained in his heart for about a year now was that he hated Danville High...but now, he didn't have a reason.

The hot hatred just felt like bitter tolerance now.

Pushing aside the thought, he concentrated on steering. His mind wondered again, and he thought about Ferb.

Ferb, his tall, quiet, green-haired step brother. Phineas distantly recalled the last time he saw Ferb. Only now did he realize what happen the last time he was with Ferb.

A year ago, he was in his room, furious at his parents and just about everyone else. Isabella had broken up with him a week earlier, only realizing much later how much he had been a jerk, and everything that happened was against him.  
>Ferb had tried to calm him down, but the stubborn 17 year old Phineas wouldn't listen, and accused his own step-brother of going against him. Ferb tried his best to explain, but Phineas wouldn't listen, and ended up sneaking out to Cullen's house that night.<br>He now realized that _that_ argument was their first argument ever that he had with his step-brother, the one step-brother whom he couldn't have asked for another, but at the time, Phineas didn't care.

In fact, he didn't care so much, he didn't even stop by to say goodbye the next day when he left with Cullen. Partially because Ferb was at school that day at that time, but Phineas didn't even want to stop by Danville High and say goodbye to him.

"Damn it, I was such an asshole." Phineas admitted sadly, not knowing what had gotten into him a year ago that night.

* * *

><p><strong>INSIDE...<strong>

Linda watched from the window as Phineas and Cullen drove off on their motorcycles. She couldn't but help but feel the sadness returning in her heart. Linda let out a sad sigh and hung her head.

"Lawrence, do you think we should have kept him a bit longer?" Linda asked her husband, who was sitting down on the couch. Lawrence pondered at her question for a moment.

"Well, I think it's best if he sees his Ferb," Lawrence spoke his thoughts, "after all, he didn't get to say goodbye the last time they met."

"True," Linda sighed, "but I still don't want Phineas to go off again."

"Don't worry honey," Lawrence chuckled, "he won't."

Linda turned and stared at Lawrence, who sat back with ease.

"How do you know?" she asked. Lawrence turned his head and looked her square in the eyes.

"I think I would sound too much of a nerd if I say it," Lawrence answered with a smile. Linda smirked at his response. "Either that or it would be corny and cheesy." he added.

"Well, I'm just going to take your word for it." Linda said, and left the living room. Lawrence just smiled and returned his attention back to the T.V.

* * *

><p><strong>ON THE WAY TO DANVILLE HIGH...<strong>

"You still remember the way?" Cullen asked as he drove right beside Phineas.

"Yeah, why?"

"Lead the way then." Cullen said.

Without hesitation, Phineas sped up the speed, and accelerated forward, with Cullen trailing right behind him. Phineas glanced behind him, and noticed something.

"Stop tailgating Cullen!" Phineas warned, and turned his head forward.

"I'm not tailgating!" Cullen argued back.

"Then why are you so close?"

"This ain't even close!"

Phineas just sped up again, trying to put some distance between Cullen, and avoid the cars driving on the road.

"Hey stop speeding!" Cullen called from behind. Phineas chuckled at the irony, and maintained his speed. Until he had to stop at a bunch of cars waiting for the red light to turn green. Cullen drove up behind him, and also spotted the traffic at the intersection.

"Stupid 2 P.M. traffic!" Cullen growled as he put his Choppers back on.

Phineas sighed with impatience.

For a short distance drive, this was going to take a while.

* * *

><p>Author's note: The reason why for the long update was:<p>

About halfway through this chapter production, I received a contusion to the brain during a football practice. The doctors told me that I shouldn't/can't play any more football, because if I didn't have my mouth piece on, I would have gotten a concussion.  
>So I am off of football unfortunately. So my head has been hurting, and it was sort of a pain to write the middle section, but during the last part of the chapter, the contusion slowly went away. It's still hurts now, but not as bad.<p>

Well, enough about my life, thanks for reading and a special thanks for reviewing. Don't worry, this story isn't finished yet. When it says Completed at the top, THEN it is done, until then, not done.


	3. Old Friends, Old Ways

Author's note: My contusion is causing chronic headaches...that is why this took a while, plus the chapter was a bit more complex.

* * *

><p><strong>Old Friends, Old Ways<strong>

Phineas gazed at Danville High to his right as he drove his V-Rod through the street. The high school built out of brick and concrete, the patches of grassy fields on the campus, the asphalt covered parking lot filled with the students' vehicles, even the layout of the school building, Phineas mentally recalled everything about Danville High, much to his discomfort.

The two bikers eased their way into the parking lot, and maneuvered over to the motorcycle parking. Neither of the two knew this, but a group of punks had spotted the two bikers, and were already making their way over to them.

Phineas took out the key, and moved off of his motorcycle. He was about to take his bike lock out of his leather jacket, when he heard the rattling of metal behind him. He flashed around, and saw Cullen chaining his Harley to the motorcycle with an actual metal chain.

Phineas just shook his head, and placed the lock on his motorcycle.

"So what now?" Cullen wondered.

"First, we gotta check in." Phineas explained, and started leave.

"Hey douche bags!" a husky voice called out behind them. Phineas turned around to see who was talking, and saw that six guys were standing _too _close to their motorcycles.

They each wore tattered jeans, except for one who wore torn-up long brown pants, belts, boots, dark-colored t-shirts, and free styled hairdos that ranged from wavy to gel. Phineas immediately knew what they were, judging from their appearances: punks.

"Can I help you boys?" Cullen grunted. A punk, the leader of the gang from the looks, lumbered out and glared at Cullen straight in the eyes. He was the tallest punk, standing 6ft tall, wore a leather jacket, and had a buzz cut hairdo, and was wearing the torn brown pants. Something about the punk leader did seem familiar to Phineas; maybe it was something about his jaw. The punk leader was big and muscular, not strong-looking, just broad and buff.

The punk leader carefully admired to black Harley Davidson Softail and the silver V-Rod, and then glared back at Cullen.

"Nice bikes." he huffed with a coarse voice.

"Thank you." Cullen said with devilish grin. The punk leader's face turned sour.

"Listen hear jackass," the punk leader griped, pointing a finger at Cullen, "if you know what's good for ya, you're gonna get off our turf, and go home!"

"I thought this was a public school." Cullen said confused. Phineas knew he was just having some dangerous fun, so he clenched his fists in case a brawl started.

"Our turf, our rules, now get the fuck out." the punk leader demanded. Students passing by quickly headed back to their afternoon classes, not wanting to somehow be pulled into a soon-to-be brawl against punks and two bikers.

"Why don't you make us?" Phineas shot back with seriousness. The punk leader glanced over Cullen's shoulder and glared down at Phineas.

"You wanna start pointy?" the punk demanded. Making his way around Cullen, the punk leader approached Phineas and glared down at him. Phineas could feel the hot breath breathing down against his face, and defiantly met the punk leader's glower.

"You ain't a part of this school, so get lost or I will make you my next dinner!" the punk leader snarled and flashed his stained teeth. Now that Phineas was up close to the punk leader's face, he suddenly realized who he was arguing with.

"Buford?" Phineas asked doubtfully. There was a brief moment of silence.

"How do you know my name?" he demanded in a rough voice, grabbing Phineas's t-shirt collar, "You a stalker or somethin?"

Behind the punk leader, the other punks were confused, but Cullen had his fists tightened, and would start swinging if the punk leader did anything else to Phineas.

"Buford, it's me." Phineas stated, hoping he would remember.

"Me who?"

"Buford, what other guy do you know has a head shaped like mine with red hair?" Phineas questioned.

Buford finally took the time to see who he was about to beat up, and that's when it hit him. Buford released Phineas's t-shirt and took a step back to see.

"Phineas, is that really you?" Buford asked, summing up the new Phineas.

"Yes, yes it is." Phineas stated with a smirk. Phineas watched as Buford gave him a strong stare, anger still in eyes. Everyone else waited for Buford to react.

Phineas suddenly felt Buford's arm pulling back on his neck, and a fist digging into his red hair.

"Where ya been Dinner Bell?" Buford chuckled as he dug his knuckles into Phineas's head.

"It's a long-OW! Story, Buford." Phineas managed to say as he wiggled free from Buford's grip. Phineas turned back to Buford, and saw that his enraged face was replaced with a cheerful smile.

"You look all grown up man!" Buford remarked and gave a gentle slug in his shoulder. Phineas would've fallen back if he wasn't braced for Buford's strength. The two of them clasped hands and shook them.

"He doesn't look that old." Cullen remarked. Buford turned his attention on Cullen now.

"Cullen, is that you?" Buford asked in surprise.

"What other biker do you know who use to be a punk?" Cullen asked. Buford was cackling as he went over and gave Cullen a big bear hug, which Cullen somehow managed to return.

"Wow, I'm becoming as oblivious as Dinner Bell now!" Buford laughed. Phineas just smiled at that remark, and carefully pulled Buford away by his shoulder.

"You're a punk now?" Phineas asked, looking at the five other punks that were now interacting with Cullen.

"Punk-Bully, and I'm proud of it!" Buford declared firmly with a broad smile. "I'm the leader of our gang: The Bones."

"So all of these guys are punk-bullies too?" Phineas wondered, and gestured at the five other guys, who were laughing at something that Cullen had told them.

"Yeah, you remember them right?" Buford asked, and guided Phineas over.

"Hey Phineas! How ya been?" one of the punk-bullies greeted.

"Not too bad Whiz." Phineas said as they shook hands. Phineas recalled all of their names, since he had gotten into their share of fights with each of them several times in the past.

"Not much has changed since you left bro," George groaned. "except for them adding classes after 3 o'clock man."

"They added what?" Phineas wondered in shock. The naturally-high George inhaled deeply through his nose before he began to talk again.

"They moved the last period to 4 o'clock now, and added a bunch of BS classes just to keep everyone in school, dude."

"Now why would they do that?" Phineas wondered.

"No idea Flynn, but all I know it that it a fuckin' waste of time!" Robert growled and dug his fist into his other hand.

"Hey, save it for the nerds, Robert." Buford scolded.

"Punk-bullies huh? That's a new term." Cullen remarked.

"We made it up a few months ago," Buford explained, "every high school around here has them now."

"Why punk-bullies though?" Cullen questioned.

"It's better than those punk-bikers." Buford snarled with disgust.

"Hell yeah man." Cullen remarked and gave Buford a high-five.

"I mean, they aren't real bikers! They're too scared to actually take up the biker live!" Buford started to rant.

"I know kid." Cullen added.

"So you're a biker now Phineas?" asked one of the punk-bullies.

"I guess so Jock." Phineas shrugged, not really caring about his social status.

"You guess?" Cullen interjected and put a hand on Phineas's shoulder, "Phineas, when you spend one whole year travelling the whole West side of the country by motorcycle with an actual biker as your guardian and no cell phone, consider yourself a biker."

Phineas gave a short nod, considering the last year he spent away from home.

"So what brings you to Danville High again?" Buford wondered, "I thought that after you dropped out you wouldn't want to come back."

"Well, I'm actually here to see Ferb." Phineas stated, his patience to see his step-brother wearing thin.

"Ferb? Oh I think he's should be in Modern History right now." Buford said, scratching the shaved whiskers on his chin.

"Well let's go see him." Phineas said.

"Phineas, you have to get a pass to get in." Whiz told him.

"Since when?" Phineas asked confused.

"Since they passed the Visitor's Code." George added.

"Damn, this place is too strict." Phineas commented as the group walked through the now-empty campus sidewalk, and over to the main building.

When they got to the main entrance, the gang opened the two doors. Phineas felt the spine-chilling cold air escape from the building as they entered. Once they were inside, they faced with a hall crossway packed with student traffic.

"Aw fuck, the Principle's Office is on the far side." Jock groaned.

Seeing all the students moving through the halls with their backpacks and books, Phineas knew that this will take awhile.

"Alright, all of you dweebs step aside!" Buford barked. No sooner than he said so, a huge section of the tile floor was revealed for their path.

"Come on, we'll get you to the Office." Buford said, motioning Phineas and Cullen to follow. Phineas couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, since he was being escorted by bullies; a _very_ rare thing.

Cullen and Phineas trailed closely behind the Bones gang as they pushed forward into the sea of Danville High students. The Bones were ordering everyone to move, and occasionally shoving some people aside to make way.

As they walked through the hall, Phineas could already feel the eyes looking at him. He heard whispers as well, and wondered if anyone of them had noticed that the notorious Phineas Flynn had returned.

"Move it people! Dinner Bell's gotta get to the Office; get the hell out of the way!" Buford shouted in the echoing hallway.

'Damn it.' Phineas thought.

* * *

><p><strong>15 Minutes Later...<strong>

Cullen and Phineas were searching for Room 1313, or at least Phineas was. Cullen was actually just trailing behind him. Buford and the Bones had left as soon as they dropped off them at the Principle's Office, since they too had to get their classes.

When Phineas entered the Office, the staff members didn't recognize him until he told them his name. They were all shocked that he had returned. Phineas couldn't tell if any of them still held him for his actions long ago, they probably did, nor did he care. He lost his symphony for _most_ of the staff, except for the janitor, Secretary, and a few others.

As Phineas walked down the almost empty hallway, memories of long ago came back.

His first fight was in this hallway.

That mosh pit started in the very spot he stood.

He also recalled the Freshmen Dance, and how they had all walked down this very hallway with their partners.

Phineas remembered Isabella, his partner that night, and how they became a couple that night. It was a week before the Freshmen Dance when he had asked her out. She had turned down all the other boys, and Phineas had strong doubts that she would turn him down too.  
>To his surprise, she immediately accepted, but now Phineas cursed his brain for being so naive.<p>

On the night of the Freshman Dance, all of them had to walk down the hallway to the dance in the Gymnasium with their partners. To Phineas's mind, it seemed to take forever going down the hallway, or maybe it was because he and Isabella were talking. She had worn a gorgeous purple dress and a purple bow that night, and he was required to wear a tuxedo. Phineas remembered that they were slow dancing to a slow song when he asked her to be his girlfriend, and she said yes.

'Those where the good times.' Phineas thought as he searched for Room 1313. He wonder if she was still around and if she was single or not.

'Probably not.' Phineas doubted sadly.

Phineas's eyes came across a door with painted black numbers: 1313. This was the room.

Phineas's heart pounded as he tried to reach for the door, but his hand hesitated to open it. Cullen noticed this.

"Should I?" Cullen asked. Phineas gulped and gave a nod. Cullen reached opened the door, and the two stepped in.

"Knock, knock." Cullen stated as he entered.  
>Phineas suddenly found all the students in the classroom looking at him. His eyes flashed to the color of green hair, and the owner of the hair who sat in the middle of the class. His eyes met with the green-haired Senior.<p>

"Phineas?" Ferb's deep British voice asked. Just about all of the girls in the class almost fainted.

"Ferb?" Phineas asked, trying to register Ferb's new look in his memory.

Ferb wore a blue jockey jacket, jeans, Nikes, and a plain white shirt.

Ferb quickly rose out of his seat, and made his way to Phineas around the desks. Phineas moved past Cullen, and to his brother.

The two step-brothers greeted each other with a big hug. Ferb was 5ft 10in, just an inch taller than Phineas.

"Ferb it's great to see you again!" Phineas exclaimed as he pulled away. Ferb gave a broad smile, his eyes starting to water up. Ferb took out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes.

"Man, you changed bro." Phineas remarked. Ferb just raised an eyebrow and glanced at Phineas's new attire.

"Touché brother." Phineas said as they clasped hands and shook.

"Phineas!" a familiar voice called out. Phineas turned and found a guy wearing an orange t-shirt and brown pants and red Adidas shoes. Phineas recognized the Senior by his hair style that he had kept over the years.

"Django!" Phineas exclaimed as they shook hands and briefly hugged.

"Where you been man?" Django asked as he settled down and broke their hug.

"On the road with Cullen." Phineas answered and motioned to Cullen who was standing still standing near the doorway. Cullen gave a wave.

"A whole year with Cullen? You mean you're a biker now?" Django asked. Ferb was amazed as well.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Phineas said, glancing back at Cullen with a grin, hoping the didn't get scolded again about being a biker.

"What are you looking at me for?" Cullen asked.

Just then, the classroom door opened, and a man neatly dressed walked in.

"Ferb, Django! Return to your seats!" the teacher snapped. Ferb and Django quickly went back to their desks. The teacher returned his attention to Cullen, who stood beside him.

"Who are you two?" he asked in a stern tone.

"Well, who are you?" Cullen shot back.

"I am Professor Wallace, and you are?" the professor asked.

"Visiting with Phineas Flynn." Cullen said, motioning to Phineas who stood by the professor's desk.

"Ah, I heard much about you Flynn." the professor remarked at Phineas. Phineas didn't want to ask if that was good or bad, but he figured it out.

"Will you two be leaving?"

"Actually, we might stick around for a lesson." Cullen stated, and made his way to the back of the room. Phineas shrugged and headed for a stool on the side of the room.

"Very well then, as long as you two don't distract us." Professor Wallace stated as he went and sat down behind his wide desk.

"Students, please open up to Chapter 7: Age of the Bikers."

At the sound of 'Bikers', Phineas glanced at Cullen, and saw that he snapped out of his soberness, and was paying full attention with a grim look.

"About 6 years ago, these biker gangs roamed across the West side of the United States. They were lead by the 10 Gangs, the top biker gangs." Professor Wallace started to lecture. Cullen sighed and shook his head.

"They were known for their notorious crime activities, gambling, arsonist crimes, drinking, and were the cause of many street fights due to each gang's rivalry with each other. Our government at the time tolerated them until their crimes grew too big, and they had to be broken up by the law."

"That's a damn lie." Cullen stated, almost yelling. Everyone turned and stared at Cullen, who was glaring at Professor Wallace, who glowered back. Phineas looked at Cullen's eyes, and could almost feel the rage and angry brewing from Cullen.

"Excuse me sir, but you have to leave now." Professor Wallace stated firmly.

"Hell no, not if you're gonna teach these kids lies about bikers." Cullen refused and slowly started to walk over to the professor's desk.  
>"Lies? Oh please, I know what I am teaching."<p>

"Really? What makes you think so?" Cullen asked, leaning on the desk with one hand.

"I am a professor, I have a doctoral degree in History, and plus this book was written by college professors in History." Professor Wallace stated.

"Those college professors were told by the government what they could and couldn't write down," Cullen informed, "and none of those biker gangs ever did anything 'arsonist crimes'."

"Oh yes they did, perhaps you heard of the biker gang: The Flames?" Professor Wallace cut in.

"Those guys were pyromaniacs who knew how to throw a good barbecue!"

"What about the Souls? They were a religious biker gang, and every member carried guns."

"First of all, only 25% of them carried guns, it was one of the their optional Codes to live by the gun, to die by the gun."

"They carried guns, and that points out that they killed a lot."

"The Souls only used it as self-defense! If one of them used a gun, that mean it would be honorable to die by one as well!"

"Oh, and how do you know all of this?" the Professor Wallace demanded.

"Cause I was the leader of the Souls!" Cullen stated firmly. Everyone, including Phineas, gave Cullen a puzzled expression.

"Right, you are the infamous Souls biker leader." the professor said with high sarcasm.

Cullen took off his leather jacket, and pushed up his sleeve on his black t-shirt, revealing his silver Celtic cross tattoo on his arm to the professor. Professor Wallace examined the tattoo, and opened the Modern History textbook. He flipped a few pages, then stopped, and looked at Cullen's tattoo again.

"Well, you were part of the Souls, but that doesn't mean you weren't the leader," the professor stated clearly, "the leaders had bigger tattoos than that, it was required according to the bikers."

"Phineas remembered Cullen's other tattoo, and realized that Cullen was about to do.

Cullen growled as he grabbed his shirt, and started to take it off.

"Sir! Keep your cloths on!" the professor ordered, but Cullen had already removed his shirt, and exposed the huge detailed tattoo of a silver Celtic cross tattoo with golden gems designs with more details on his back.

"Does this prove it enough?" Cullen demanded. Professor Wallace was astounded at what he saw.

"I-I thought that you died in a motorcycle crash..." the professor started to say, "they told me-"

"They were told what the government told them." Cullen said as he grabbed his shirt and put it back on.

"Does that mean the other nine top leaders are alive too?" the professor wondered, eager to hear the answer.

"I ain't telling you," Cullen scoffed, "you would only go tell the police, and then they'll be a second Hunt!"

"So was that a yes?"

"I'm not sayin." Cullen declared.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'second Hunt'?" a student asked. Cullen turned and faced the class.

"The government had decided to get rid of the major biker gangs, so they had cops disband them," Cullen started to explain, "and none of the gangs wanted to disband. So then we were given the choice to disband or be killed. None of us disbanded. Most of the gangs fought back, but were overwhelmed by the force of the police."

"Where they put in prison?" a girl asked.

"No, if they were caught, they were killed." Cullen answered. Everyone felt queasy. "After awhile, the members of every gang went into hiding, including me."

"What else happened?" Professor Wallace asked. Cullen looked at the Professor, then back at the students.

"First of all, all of that stuff about crimes, being lead by 10 major biker gangs, gambling, and fights and stuff; that is only half true." Cullen enlighten, "I'm gonna tell you all how the biker gangs were really like." Cullen paused, and glanced at the students.

"And you all better be writing this down."

Instantly, the students took out their notebooks and pencils, along with the professor.

Phineas couldn't help but smile and feel amazed. He never knew Cullen was a leader of a biker gang. Feeling a need to walk around, Phineas got up off his stool, and headed for the door.  
>"Now where you going Phineas?" Cullen asked as Phineas reached the door.<p>

"For a walk around." Phineas stated, and left the room. As he entered into the empty hallway, he carefully closed the door behind him.

"Tell the janitor I said hello!" Cullen called out as Phineas closed the door. Suddenly, he felt nature calling, and immediately headed for the bathroom.

(...,,,...,,,)

* * *

><p>As Phineas exited the bathroom, wiping his soapy-wet hands on his jeans, a Senior girl was walking by, carrying her books.<p>

Unknown to neither of them, they were about to collide.

_WHOOMPH!_

The girl squeaked, and Phineas gasped. The girl's books fell to the floor with loud slams that echoed throughout the hallway.

"Oh I'm sorry!" she exclaimed as she got down to pick up her books.

"No it's my fault, really." Phineas said, also getting down and helping her. The two exchanges brief glances, and resumed picking up the books, but each of them realized who they were with.

Slowly, the two faced each other, eyes locked, and it suddenly hit both of them.

"Isabella?"

"Phineas?"

* * *

><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED...<strong>

Author's note: It occurred to me that my last chapter did not say "TO BE CONTINUED..."

In truth, I may forget sometimes. Thanks for reading, and a special thanks for reviewing. I think I may have had something to say earlier, but I forgot...sorry. I might remember it by the next Author's Note section.


	4. Previous Interests

Author's note: To the anonymous reviewer: Neonpurple, I don't think you would be wanting to say that stuff on the internet...anyways, hope everyone is loving the story so far.

* * *

><p><strong>Previous Interests<strong>

"Phineas?" Isabella gasped, looking directly into Phineas's eyes.

"Isabella?" Phineas asked, staring into her own blue eyes. Phineas's heart pumped harder, not sure of what to say. Slowly, both of them rose from the ground and examined each other.

Isabella wore a bright pink overall dress, a white undershirt, pink sneakers and white socks, and a pink bow on top of her raven black hair. It was a bigger version of her usual attire, but bigger and sleeker. Phineas suddenly caught his eyes tracing over her curves, but checked his actions. His nostrils also picked up a sweet and soothing scent coming from her as well, probably the perfume she had decided to wear.

"Is that really you?" Isabella asked, leaning in a bit closer.

"Yeah, it's me." Phineas replied, running his fingers through his red hair. "You look...very nice, Isabella."

"Thanks," Isabella said with a kind smile, "When did you get back?"

"This morning."

"Where've you been?"

"On the road with Cullen."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Isabella asked with disappointed look, one that she had ever since he had left. She had worried that he had left because she had broken up with him, and was all set to take him back, but then he left Danville before she could get the chance.

"I...well..." Phineas stammered, trying hard to find the right words to say, but sighed in defeat. Isabella still waited for him to answer.

"I guess it didn't cross my mind at the time," Phineas explained his thoughts at the top of his head, "when we broke up, I was angry, but I really wasn't thinking about our break up."

"Oh," Isabella sighed quietly, relieved that she wasn't the one who made Phineas leave, "So how ya been?"

"I'm a biker now, apparently." Phineas stated with a shrug. Isabella giggled as she looked at Phineas's new look.

"Apparently so." she commented with a smile, looking at Phineas. He returned her smile with a faint one. Inside, he could feel the familiar warm soft feeling he had for Isabella. Phineas still remembered the time when he had asked Ferb for his advice on what he was feeling. When Ferb simply told him that he was feeling love, Phineas's mind was blown. One, since he always had that feeling around Isabella every time for the past years; and two, he realized he had been in love with Isabella. That was also when he learned of his sheer obliviousness.

Thanks to Cullen though, he had become...less oblivious than he had originally been, but there was still patches of obliviousness at some points.

Deciding to act on impulse, Phineas braced himself, and decided to spill the question he had wondered over the year.

"Can I ask you a question?" Phineas asked, first needing her permission.

"Sure."

Phineas took a deep breath.

"Are you si-"

"Hey Izzy!"

Phineas slowly turned his head around, and glanced at where the echoing voice came from down the hallway. His eyes caught the sight of seven men striding straight towards them. They were all wearing the green-colored letter sports jackets. Most of them were roughly around six foot, but the leader who led in front was exactly Phineas's height. Danville High Football players; jocks.

"Not again..." Isabella murmured as she moved to Phineas's side to face the jocks. Phineas just gave her a confused look before he looked back at the jocks that were up on them now.

The leader gave Isabella a smug look as he ruffled his black hair , which she returned with a silent glare. Phineas suddenly felt tension in the air as soon as he looked at the two of them.

"So Izzy..." the guy sneered with a medium-toned voice.

"Don't call me that Trent." Isabella growled.

"Whatever," Trent scoffed, and gave Phineas a questioning look, "who's your new friend?"

"Phineas," Isabella casted a brief look at Phineas, "Phineas Flynn." Isabella raised her chin up.

"Ah, so this is your 'no good, heartbreaking, worthless, and spoiled scumbag' ex you told me about?"

Ouch. Phineas felt those words strike inside his heart, but showed no sign of it. Had Isabella really said that about him? He had a second thought pop into his head about his previous question.

"I didn't say that stuff Trent." Isabella defended.

"But you meant it though." Trent added slyly. Isabella just gave him a cold stare.

Trent was a student who also went to Danville High, along with the others. In the beginning of his Freshmen year, he had immediately joined the football team, and slowly worked his way up to team captain in a year. He was known for his stubborness and dedication to whatever he wanted. He was muscular, but not to a point where he was just buff, like Buford. Everyone knew that Trent acted friendly around the people he liked, but became quite a jerk to those he didn't.

Trent gave a chuckled, and stepped forward. He placed a hand on Phineas's leather jacket shoulder, and softly guided Phineas to the side. Then his hand carefully pushed Phineas's head down, and he ducked his head in as well in their huddle.

"Listen Phineas," Trent whispered, "first of all, welcome back."

"Uh, thanks?" Phineas wearily answered back in the same tone.

"Second, don't even bother with Isabella any dude, you can find better girls at Joplin Motels." Trent insulted, looking back at Isabella, who was waiting patiently, trying her best to ignore the other jocks mocking and sneering at her.

Phineas felt his anger swell inside him, but somehow managed to keep himself under control. Slowly, he reached around, and pried Trent's arm off of him.

"I highly doubt that." Phineas stated, and stepped back over to Isabella, ignoring Trent's glare behind him.

"Phineas, I think we should go..." Isabella suggested, really wanting to get as far away from Trent as possible. Before Phineas could comply, Trent interrupted.

"Now why would Phineas be going anywhere with you?" Trent demanded, "I mean, we haven't even given him a _proper_ welcome that he _deserves_."

Phineas could hear that edge in his voice, and immediately turned around. He was suddenly faced to face with Trent, and behind him assembled his gang of jocks. Phineas stared into Trent's glowering brown eyes with a calm set of eyes, but his jaw tightened, and he clenched his fist together. He hear the sound of books being set down on the slick floor, and felt two small hands tugging on his right arm.

"Phineas, let's go, please." Isabella begged quietly, trying to pull Phineas away.

"Yeah Flynn, run away you coward, just like you did for a year." Trent taunted with a smirk. Phineas's anger flashed into rage. Phineas snarled his teeth, while Trent just smirked at him. Phineas felt the world around him turn foggy, and the only thing he wanted was to pound that smirk off of his face with his fists.

* * *

><p>Just as it seemed that there would be an all-out brawl, a voice boomed in the hallway.<p>

"Oi! What the hell are y'all doing!" Cullen demanded as he slowly walked up to them. Trent gave him a scornful sneer as he summed up Cullen.

"Get outta here Mexican, this is between us." Trent scoffed, and glanced back at Phineas, who was still glaring at him. Phineas's enraged mind suddenly recalled what race Cullen was actually, and knew what about to happen.

Cullen's hands shot out, and grabbed Trent's letter jacket collar. Trent yelped in shock as Cullen pulled him close to his face.

"Listen jockie, I'm an Irish-Thai Catholic!" Cullen snarled, traces of his Irish accent starting to show, "if ya got a problem with that, then ya gotta problem with me! Got it?"

Trent heistanted for a moment, unsure and shaken at what just happen, but he quickly regained his composure. Cullen released Trent's letter jacket, and looked at him through his Choppers.

"What's your name?" Cullen asked.

"Trent Gilgan," Trent uttered, "and you better remember it _sir_." Cullen gave a slight laugh.

"You don't seem like a Trent."

"Oh yeah, how would "Trent" be like?" the head jock demanded.

"I'd say more...intelligent," Cullen stated, unintentionally insulting him, "and bit more mechanical."

Trent just snarled at Cullen's remarks. Phineas thought that Trent was on the verge of attacking Cullen. If he did, Phineas was ready to yank Trent off, and to thrash him against the lockers.

"Oh, and with orange eyes, too." Cullen added, throwing everyone off guard. Trent gave him an angry and confused look.

'Orange...eyes?' Phineas repeated in his head.

* * *

><p><em>DIIIINNNGGG!<em>

The school bell echoed on the speakers and throughout the hallway. Trent slowly backed down from Cullen, and glanced at Phineas with a snarl.

"This ain't over, Flynn." Trent hissed, and then turned to the other jocks. "Let's get to practice." he muttered as he shooed the jocks in the opposite direction. Cullen, Phineas, and Isabella watched as they left, and made their way through the crowded hallway.

Phineas's anger slowly cooled down as he watched Trent and his gang get farther away, and his senses returned. He felt a pair of hands gripping his leather jacket sleeve, and looked at Isabella, who was still clutching him.

Isabella followed his gaze, and quickly released Phineas's arm. Isabella gave a 'don't do that again' look at Phineas, who returned with a bashful smile.

"Let me guess, that was your...boyfriend?" Cullen wondered, looking at Isabella with an eyebrow raised.

"Ex...actually." Isabella corrected. Isabella hung her head, ashamed. Phineas's question was answered; Isabella _had _moved on, or so he thought. Isabella detected Phineas staring at her, and directly focused on him.

"I can explain..." Isabella blurted out in defense, even though no one accused her of anything. Phineas gave a confused look. The murmur of the moving crowd of leaving students toned down their voices.

"Well, I'll go get Ferb," Cullen proclaimed, and started to head off down the hallway, "meet me at the bikes Phineas."

Phineas was about to leave, but something made him stay next to Isabella. The thought of asking her out right then and now was tempting, but he was sure that if she had moved on, she had found someone else better than him. Phineas was suddenly torn between the two choices.

'Fuck it.' Phineas's mind flatly stated.

"Hey Isabella?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering...if you would uh..." Phineas stopped, but managed to get the words out, "like to go to the movies on Friday night?" Phineas was expecting her to say no. Isabella gave him a mischievous look.

"Of course Phineas." she said with a bright smile.

The two stood there, the hallway just about empty now.

"Well, I better get going." Isabella stated, picking up her books off the ground.

"Of course." Phineas replied, and helped her. Once she had her books, the two of them stared at each other. Phineas didn't want to go.

"Friday night?" Phineas asked again.

Isabella giggled as she walked past Phineas.

"Be there, Flynn." she told him, and swayed past him. Phineas couldn't help but gawked as she left, swaying her hips as she went.

'Damn...' Phineas thought in his head, prying his eyes off of Isabella, and heading off to go back home to his family.

* * *

><p>Author's note: In retrospect, this story is actually coming along pretty quickly than I had thought it would.<p> 


	5. Candace's Visit

Author's notes: "Hold the Line" by Toto. A very nice rock song. That's what I am listening to right now...and after that I will listen to the band U2.

* * *

><p><strong>Candace's Visit<strong>

"You sure you won't be able to stay Cullen? You're always welcomed here." Phineas asked as he and Ferb watched Cullen mount his motorcycle. The boys were standing outside of the front door. The sun had already set, but in the distance, a huge mass of grey storm clouds loomed in the distant skies. A low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, too.

Cullen revved up his motorcycle.

"Not tonight Phineas, I got some business to do tonight." Cullen said.

"What kind of business?" Ferb inquired.

"The kind that doesn't require you two." Cullen explained apologetically. Phineas felt the coldness in his words that meant 'mind your own business'.

"Alright then, see ya Cullen." Phineas called out as Cullen started to drive away. Cullen just gave a sloppy salute behind him as he drove down the road. Phineas and Ferb heard more thunder, and quickly glanced at the grey storm clouds that were suddenly rolling in.

"We better get inside." Phineas stated, and the two turned around. Ferb pulled out his house key from his backpack, slid the key into the lock, and unlocked the door. The two step into the warm, cozy household, and closed the door behind them.

"Mom, we're home!" Phineas hollered out, hoping she would hear her voice wherever she was.

"Coming sweetie." Linda called back. Phineas rolled his eyes. Ferb held back a snicker.

"Mom," Phineas groaned, "do you have to call me that?"

"Yes," Linda said as she came out of the dining room, "yes I do." She gave Phineas a big hug, and then the same to Ferb.

"It's great to have you back dear." Linda sighed.

"Thanks mom." Phineas said, a bit embarrassed.

"Why don't you boys eat in the kitchen," Linda suggested, "I made some spaghetti for you two." It was only when the word 'spaghetti' was mentioned when Phineas realized his hunger pains in his empty stomach.

"Thanks." Phineas said as he and Ferb went off to the kitchen through the dining room. As they passed the dining table, Ferb plopped his backpack on the table and continued towards the aroma of spaghetti in the kitchen. Once the two teens reached the kitchen, they plopped themselves down in seats, and started to eat their spaghetti.

* * *

><p>The two talked as they ate; actually, Phineas was the one talking, telling about all of his adventures as he gobbled down the spaghetti and meatballs. About five minutes later, rain started to patter against the house. A minute later, the rain started to poor down from the sky. Suddenly, lighting illuminated the kitchen.<p>

"Lovely weather." Ferb remarked before he ate another bite of his dinner.

"You said it, bro." Phineas chuckled as he refilled his bowl from the big pot of spaghetti in the middle of the table.

The following thunder barely rumbled the house, but it left a thunderous echo outside.

"So how did you fair in the rain?" Ferb asked.

"Oh it was easy, we-"

A sudden blast of thunder drowned out his words, and house shook slightly. As Phineas continued to talk, the stifled roar of two motors racing somewhere in the city was mixed in with the long thunder booms.

"-and that is how we survived." Phineas concluded. Ferb thought to himself as he slurped up a spaghetti noodle.

"So did you two really 'hunker down' at a middle school?" Ferb asked.

"Yeah, for about a week," Phineas explained, "somehow Cullen talked the staff into letting us stay for a while." Ferb just raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me Ferb; it was _nothing_ like Danville High." Phineas assured him as he ate the rest of his spaghetti and started to scrape the sides of the bowl for the sauce. Ferb gave him a quizzical expression.

"It's not so bad! We paid for their school's lunch, spent the night in the classrooms, and took separate showers in the shower rooms at night." Phineas said. "We even made some bucks from cutting their grass."

Ferb snorted through his nose, and had a smile on his face.

"Oh he did go crazy Ferb," Phineas added to Ferb's unspoken comment, "I told him to just use one. What does he do? He grabs two grass cutters! Two!"

Ferb smiled as he got up from the table, and went to go put his bowl in the sink. As Phineas rose, he felt his meal fill his belly with warmth of the food, and smelled tomato sauce in his breath. Only then as he grabbed the main spaghetti bowl did he realized that they had both eaten all of their mom's cooked spaghetti.

Ferb reached over and flicked a light switch on. The dimmed kitchen was lit up, and after Phineas put away the two bowls, they both sat down and continued to talk.

"So how are things around the school?"

Ferb opened his mouth to speak.

He talked about how Django was the top artist in the school. He talked about how Baljeet was already in college. He talked about how the Fireside Girls now have a new scout leader: Melissa and how the Fireside Girls founder was still alive.

"-and Buford is the center of the school's gossip network." Ferb concluded.

"Really? I never would have known." Phineas remarked. Ferb just rolled his eyes with a grin. Phineas saw his motion.

"Are you serious?" Phineas demanded with a laugh, "I was oblivious to that too? God damn!"

"That, and also the rivalry between the Bones and the Jocks." Ferb mentioned the two macho gangs in Danville High.

"Just a few guys make up a big gang?" Phineas wondered, slightly disappointed. He listened carefully as Ferb explained how complex Buford's gang was, and how the gang members that escorted him through the school were the top members. In reality, Buford was in control of _all _the bullies in the school, and had many dealings with other factions within the student system.

"Now that I think of it, I could see Buford doing that stuff..." Phineas muttered.

"And Buford is with Adyson." Ferb finished, and caught Phineas off guard.

"They are?" Phineas wondered. Ferb just gave a nod. "When did this happen?"

Ferb counted on his fingers and reached up to six.

"Well it's about time!

_Ding Dong!_

Both Phineas and Ferb glanced in the direction of the front door as another stroke of lightning flashed.

"I'll get it!" Lawrence proclaimed from another part of the house. Phineas's gut somersaulted for some reason when he imagined his father opening the front door on a stormy night.

"I got it." Phineas shouted, and bolted from his seat, and rushed to the door. When Phineas reached the door, he was on high alert. His father had once told him to always be prepared, but it wasn't until Cullen actually enforced Lawrence's advice on Phineas during their travels.

Phineas grasped the cold doorknob, and held his eye up to the little peep-hole. Outside, standing on the other side, was a red-headed woman holding a toddler in her arms and a blond-headed man.  
>To Phineas, they looked like complete strangers; and Phineas knew what to do when strangers would be knocking on your door.<p>

"Hey open up!" the woman shouted and knocked on the door again, "It's pouring out here and you know how Amanda is scared of lightning!" Phineas recognized that voice, and realized who they were.

Phineas opened the door, and came face to face with Candace and Jeremy and his niece, Amanda.

Amanda had curled up in Candace's arms, and dug her head into her shirt. Phineas gave the two a blank expression while Candace and Jeremy were looking at Phineas in confusion.

"Uh, who are you?" Candace asked after a moment. Phineas was about to answer, but a flash of lightning boomed in the sky, and the toddler's cry was muffled by Candace's red shirt.

"First come inside." Phineas directed. Hesitantly, Candace and Jeremy entered the house, and Phineas closed the door behind them.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Jeremy asked, his voice slightly deeper than the last time Phineas had heard it. Phineas's heart dropped inside upon hearing the question.

"Flynn, Phineas Flynn." he stated flatly, thinking he should use that movie quote style he once heard in a movie. He turned around and headed back towards the kitchen.

Suddenly, a hand grasped his leather jacket's shoulder strap, and pulled back with force. Phineas spun on his heel, and found himself being examined head to toe by Candace.

"Phineas?" Candace repeated. Phineas looked at her square in the eye, not sure about what to do. He watched as her expression changed from cold to warm, and her eyes shredded a single tear drop down her cheek.

"Oh Phineas..." she said, and squeezed Phineas in a hug. Phineas gave his older sister a hug. "Welcome back," Candace spoke, still hugging Phineas, "we all missed you."

"Thanks." Phineas said as he moved out of Candace's hug.

"Uncle Phineas!" Amanda's high-toned voice exclaimed. Phineas felt something grasp around his leg, and looked down to see the cute face of Amanda.

"Hey Amanda." Phineas said happily, and lifted his leg off the ground slightly. Amanda clung to him and laughed as she dangled from his jean leg.

"Put me down Uncle Phineas!" Amanda giggled.

"Oh I'm sorry Amanda, I can't." Phineas pretended.

"Yes you can Uncle Phineas!" Amanda pouted. Just then, Phineas remembered Amanda's favorite pet.

"Hey Amanda, where's Perry?"

Amanda dropped from Phineas's leg, and instantly ran off to go look for Perry.

"Perry!" she exclaimed as she ran off.

Then Jeremy walked over, a broad smile on his face.

"Hey in-law." Jeremy greeted as the two grasped hands and pulled each other into a hug.

"Jeremy Johnson." Phineas growled with a smile as they pulled away. "How you been bro?"

Jeremy placed his hand on Phineas's shoulder.

"I should be asking you that, Phineas." Jeremy corrected, and the two continued to smile at each other.  
>Their bonding moment was interrupted by the sound of a child's laughter.<br>They all glanced and saw Perry strolling out of the living room with his mind-less expression, and with the toddler, Amanda, holding onto his beaver tail.

"Grrrgrrrgrrgrr." Perry chittered as he went by.

"Perry!" Amanda squealed as she was dragged on her feet with Perry pulling her by his beaver tail, not that Perry showed any signs of pain.

"Mom! I thought I told you to do something about Perry!" Candace shouted in the house.

"Nice to see you too, Candace!" Linda shouted back.

"Oh my gosh, I forgot to say hi to mom and dad!" Candace exclaimed, and immediately dashed up the stairs. Meanwhile downstairs, Ferb had came out of the kitchen.

"Hey Ferb," Jeremy greeted, "how you feeling?"

Ferb gave a thumbs up.

Candace came running back down the stairs, and only stopped to give Ferb a hug.

"Hi Ferb." she blurted, and immediately ran to go greet her dad. Ferb turned to Jeremy and gave him another one of his questioning looks.

"Oh nothing really," Jeremy answered the unspoken question, "there were these two drivers speeding down on the wet highway though."

"What kind of cars?" Phineas asked.

"I think one was a red Pontiac GTO 66," Jeremy recalled, "and the other was a purple Nissan 370z. Those two drivers are insane to be driving in this storm on the highway!"

"They are either street racers, or people on urgent business." Phineas figured.

"How do ya know that?" Jeremy wondered.

"Cullen told me." Phineas replied.

"So Phineas, are you gonna tell us about your adventure?" Jeremy asked.  
>Before Phineas could answer, lighting flashed outside, followed up the boom of thunder.<br>In the next room, the boys could hear Amanda starting to cry from her fear of lightning.  
>Jeremy's expression turned grim and serious.<p>

"I got it Candace." Jeremy called out, and quickly rushed into the next room to comfort his daughter. Ferb and Phineas could hear him calming Amanda down, trying his best not to let her cry, just as any good father would do for their child.

Phineas suddenly found Ferb looking at him.

"Don't worry, I'll tell ya later when we all settle down." Phineas assured.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER ON AT NIGHT...<strong>

Phineas was asleep on his bed. The storm was still at full force outside, and the rain was storming down. Ferb had decided to sleep downstairs, Perry was sleeping in his little pet bed, Linda and Lawrence were asleep in their bedroom, and Candace, Amanda, and Jeremy were sleeping in Candace's old room, which had been cleared out and turned into a guest room.

Everyone was in slumber, or so it seemed.

A little hand opened the door to the room, and entered. The little figure tip-toed quietly, but a flash of lightning made the figure run over. The figure quickly climbed onto Phineas's bed, and curled up against Phineas's side.

Phineas felt a warm presence beside him, as well as something press up against him. Quickly, he opened his eyes and reached to his side. His fingers touched a soft and frail shoulder, as well as the fabric of pajamas. He turned his head, and saw the dark outline of his niece.

"Amanda?" Phineas wondered, his voice all groggy.

"Uncle Phineas? Can I sleep with you tonight?" Amanda's little voice pleaded. Phineas's mind knew what to say and ask.

"Why aren't you sleeping with your mom or dad?" Phineas groaned, slowly coming out of his drowsy state.

"Cause I can't fall asleep." Amanda's weary voice said.

"Well why don't you sleep with Ferb?"

"Uncle Ferb is downstairs, and it's very dark."

Another lighting flash illuminated the room, and Amanda yelped, and curled up tighter to Phineas's side.

Phineas knew exactly that his restless niece needed comfort, but it felt much better in his heart if Amanda would do this with her loving _parents_ rather than her biker _uncle_.

"Fine, just close your eyes and think about Perry." Phineas instructed as he gave her a pillow and draped a blanket over Amanda. Amanda took the blanket and pillow and snuggled against Phineas, who put his head back on his pillow and fell back to sleep.

Throughout the stormy night, the 18 year old Phineas slept in deep slumber, while a two year old Amanda quietly slept against Phineas's side, dreaming of her favorite family pet platypus.

* * *

><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED...<strong>

Author's note: Like I said before, this story is coming along faster than I expected.  
>Forgive this chapter's lateness...but the weight of school work, the addition of managing the Freshmen football team (yeah, I'm the manager now), plus a little dab of video games and laziness tends to slow down production of chapters. Don't worry, I'm not going to leave a story unfinished, unless I die and can no longer reach the laptop. Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you want.<p> 


	6. Moving Back In

Author's note: Happy Halloween! I hoped to finish this chapter, by Halloween...and I did! Oh, and this is the last chapter that talks about Phineas's past events.

* * *

><p><strong>Moving Back In<strong>

Inside the house, Phineas sat in a rocking chair, babysitting Amanda while her parents were out at work, and Linda was tending to matters in the house.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Phineas heard the _clunk_ of the phone being picked up. He mentally wondered who it was.

"Phineas, Cullen wants to talk to you!" Linda called out. Phineas got up from his seat, stepped over the young Amanda playing with her dolls, and headed for the phone. In one motion, Phineas swiped the phone, and pushed the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Morning Phineas," Cullen's voice answered on the phone's speaker, "how'd you sleep last night?"

"The same as usual." Phineas shrugged and sat down on the couch.

"Yeah and...wait...Linda are you still on?"

"Yes, yes I am." Linda's voice spoke up on the line.

"Well, can Phineas come and help me today?"

"Where will he be helping exactly?" Linda asked curiously.

"You know my house near the Tri-state Academy?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Well I need some help moving things around..."

"Can't you get any of your friends to do so?"

Phineas just held the phone away and stared at it as Cullen and Linda talked over the line. He casted a confused glance at Amanda, who just giggled.

"So can he come over?" Cullen asked. Phineas heard Linda sigh on the phone.

"Fine, he can."

"Don't worry; it's something for him to do today." Cullen added. "Phineas you still on?"

"Yeah, I'm right here." Phineas talked into the phone.

"Alright, you know where my house is right?"

"Yeah."

"Be there." Cullen ordered, and hung up.  
>Phineas heard Linda hang up, and then he ended the call as well. Linda walked into the room, her hands on her hips. Phineas quickly got up, and started to head to the door.<p>

"Uncle Phineas?" he heard Amanda say behind him. Phineas craned his head around and glanced at the young Amanda in her purple dress, holding her dolls in her hand.

"Can you stay and play with me and grandma?" she asked politely. Phineas almost laughed when he heard that.  
>Linda just put a hand to her heart and sighed as she shook her head.<p>

"I'm sure 'grandma' can keep you busy." Phineas assured playfully, looking back at his mother.

Linda gave him a slug in the shoulder, which really didn't hurt much compared to other punches he had recieved.

"Why don't you get going Phineas?" Linda suggested, "I'm sure Cullen needs help."

"Yes..._mom_..." Phineas emphasized, and gave his mother a hug.

"Yes, I'm still your mother." Linda said quietly, "and I'm still not use to being called 'grandma'."

"You'll get use to it after awhile." Phineas told her as he pulled away and unlocked the front door. Linda just smirked as he left.

"Bye Uncle Phineas!" Amanda called out as Phineas closed the door. Once Phineas pulled the door shut and locked it outside, Amanda ran over to Linda, and held up her dolls.

"Can we play now, Grandma?" Amanda pleaded.

"Ohhh..." Linda sighed as she gentle took one of Amanda's offered dolls, "alright dear."

"Can we get Grandpa to play, too?"

Linda almost laughed at that. She never imagined Lawrence being called 'Grandpa'.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER ON...<strong>

Phineas thought about the morning as he drove up the avenue in his motorcycle, which Cullen had lent him for their trip.

He had slept in today, needing the sleep to rejuvenate his body. When he finally woke up, he stumbled out of bed, and realized that he hadn't undressed from the previous day. As he lumbered down the stairs, he ran into Candace and Jeremy, who were just about to leave for their work.

Candace had assigned Phineas to help watch over Amanda. Before Phineas could protest, Candace and Jeremy were out the door, leaving a poor, confused Phineas. He found out later that Lawrence had gone to work at the antique shop that he and Linda owned, and Ferb had gone off to school.

After Phineas showered up and got dressed in a new pair of cloths, he went down to babysit his niece, but then received Cullen's request over the phone.

Speaking of which, Phineas was about to pull up to his house now.

As Phineas came towards the end of the road, he could spot the little one-story blue house near the neighborhood intersection. Phineas pulled up into the driveway, he spotted a man relaxing in a fold-back lounge chair in the front lawn, and Cullen working underneath a green old-model car.

Phineas parked right in the concrete driveway, and cut the ignition. The man relaxing on the lawn glanced in Phineas's direction.

"Hey amigo, the chico is here!" the man called to Cullen as he got up and stretched.

Cullen rolled out from underneath the car, holding a torque wrench, and without his choppers or leather jacket. Cullen reached his hand up, which Phineas grasped and pulled.

"Welcome back to my house Phineas," Cullen greeted, "I'm surprised you remembered where it was."

"Fool...you call this a house?" the man remarked to Cullen as he paced towards the open garage.

"Hey, it's the only one I got in Danville!" Cullen shouted back.

"Whatever amigo." the man muttered as he went inside. Cullen chuckled as he wiped his hands on a towel.

"That was Marcel," Cullen introduced, "he's an old friend and a great guy."  
>Phineas's mind idly thought of the stereotypical Mexican, but quickly tore up the thought it. His eyes drifted towards the green car that Cullen was working on.<p>

"What kind of car is that?" Phineas asked, nodding at the car behind Cullen.

"Oh this?" Cullen said, and placed a hand on the car, "This is a Pontiac GTO 66; pretty old, but it goes pretty fast."

_Pontiac GTO 66_

Phineas's mind suddenly clicked, and he remembered Jeremy talking about two cars speeding down the highway and how one of them was a Pontiac GTO 66.

"Let's get to business shall we?" Cullen suggested, and starting to head into the open garage, motioning Phineas to follow. Before Phineas entered through the door to the house, he wearily glanced back at the green Pontiac GTO 66.

'Wait, Jeremy said it was red, not green.' Phineas thought, and sighed in relieve.

As Phineas entered the house-hold, he couldn't help but remember traces of what happened here about a year ago.

* * *

><p>(...,,,...,,,)<p>

He was 17; a stubborn, ignorant, self-absorbed, high school dropout delinquent. He had gotten into a huge argument with his parents. First it was with his mom, then after making her cry due to his vocal harshness, his father intervened. Phineas and his father had shouted at each other for about half an hour before Phineas grudgingly stomped his way up to his room. In retrospect, that was possibly Phineas's first argument with his step-father, even though he had always considered him his father.

If there was any remorse over what Phineas had said to his parents, it was buried in deep, teenaged rage. Later on that night, he had gotten into a fight with Ferb, and then he snuck out.

Originally, Phineas planned to go somewhere he couldn't remember now, but he ended up at Cullen's house-hold, the exact same house hold that Phineas was in now.

Being an old family friend, Cullen had allowed Phineas to enter, but he demanded to know the reason for Phineas running away.

After he had somehow talked some sense into Phineas, he offered to take Phineas on a 'road trip' in order to get away from Danville legally.

The very next day began the 'road trip' that would change Phineas's view of adolescence and adulthood.

* * *

><p>(...,,,...,,,)<p>

**INSIDE THE LIVING ROOM...**

"You press X, A, A, then Y, stupid! Not X, B, Y, A!" Marcel scolded as he pressed the colorful buttons on the controller.

"Hey it ain't my fault the fuckin' skeletons have shotguns!" the guy beside him argued as his thumbs moved across his controller.

Cullen and Phineas entered the living room. Phineas found Marcel and another guy in the living room. Marcel and a dark-skinned guy were playing an X-box game on the wide-screen T.V. mounted on the wall in between two windows.

"Oh Phineas, meet Daniel." Cullen introduced, and leaned over the couch to watch the video game.

"Hey whazzup man?" Daniel greeted as he played, not even turning around to look at Phineas.

"Keep playing fool, the zombies are starting to break through on the other side!" Marcel ordered.

"Shit! I thought you said you had them!"

"No fool...I had the skeletons!"

"What are you guys playing?" Cullen wondered.

"Survive Thrive and Kill 2, the Apocalypse."

"Oh did you find the Military Asset?" Cullen asked.

"The what?" Marcel asked.

"Ok Daniel, head right, now go over to that burned house," Cullen instructed, "now use that radio."

Phineas watched on screen as a tank appeared outside the house.

"Fool...why you didn't tell us this!" Marcel asked as he played.

"Be glad I told you this now." Cullen said as he pushed himself off the couch, and headed for the kitchen. Phineas followed right behind.

"Cullen, why exactly did you need me?" Phineas asked.

"Oh I need you to move some stuff." Cullen explained as he opened the refrigerator. Instantly, Cullen pulled his head out and glanced around.

"Alright, who the hell drank all the orange juice!" Cullen shouted.

"My bad Prowl!" another voice called out in the house.

"Luke you know better!" Cullen shouted as he closed the fridge.

"See what you done Luke?" Marcel shouted from the living room.

"Who forgot to flush?" Luke called out from somewhere in the house. Phineas figured the bathroom.

"Hey I flushed the last time I checked amigo!" Marcel shot back.

"Then why do I see pee in the toilet?"

"Oh, my fault guys!" Daniel shouted. Everyone, minus Phineas and Daniel, groaned. Phineas almost laughed.

"Alright, let's go move the extra couch." Cullen said, and walked off, with Phineas having nothing to do but follow.

After walking down another short hallway, Phineas was brought to a tidy blue room, with a bookshelf against one of the walls, a desk next to a window with a computer and chair, a cozy-looking khaki colored seat, and then a white cushioned sofa across from the bookshelf.

"Alright, you grab that side." Cullen motioned to one side of the sofa. Phineas maneuvered over to one side of the couch and slide his hands underneath the wooden frame.

"Lift with your legs," Cullen added, "on the count of three."

Phineas braced his legs and arms.

"Three."

Cullen's side shot up, and almost caused the couch to tip over and fall on Phineas, fortunately, Phineas pulled up in time.

"Now try to squeeze it into the hallway." Cullen told. Phineas moved and tried to back it up, but the sofa's wooden frame wouldn't fit through the door's frame.

"Uh Cullen?"

"Yeah?"

"It won't fit through."

"Damn it...bring it back in."

Phineas lifted the couch again, pushed it back into the room, and lowered it down in the middle of the carpeted floor.

"How did you get this in here in the first place?" Phineas thought aloud. Cullen drew his head back to remember, and the bright expression on his face told Phineas that he remembered.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER ON...<strong>

"Jeez Cullen, is there ever a normal day for you?" Phineas asked as he carefully pulled the couch outside through the window.

"I consider this normal." Cullen shot back from inside as he pushed the couch out. Phineas felt the other side of the couch plummet and hit the grass, and then he lowered his side. He glanced at Cullen, who was climbing out the window.

"Cullen, where's you jacket?" Phineas asked.

"I put it away." Cullen said as he motioned for Phineas to lift the couch. "It is nice and sunny, and for once, there are no bugs bothering me; why would I be wearing a jacket?"

Phineas and Cullen carried to couch to the front lawn, and set it down facing the street.

"Oh, I thought bikers wear them all the time." Phineas figured as he worked out a kink in his shoulder. Cullen leaned on the couch and gave Phineas a disbelieved look.

"What?" Phineas asked out of his naïve.

"That's stereotyping bikers." Cullen stated in a flat tone.

"Oh..."

"So you wanna take off your jacket now?" Cullen asked. Phineas glanced down and just grasp the knowledge that his leather jacket was on. At that moment, he started to feel a wave of heat wash over his skin and arms.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." Phineas said, and started to head to the front door.

"Dude, this weather is perfect for sun-tanning!" Luke's voice came from above.  
>Phineas craned his head up, and found a man wearing a green short-sleeve, khaki pants, green Addias shoes, and black hair.<br>One obvious question popped into Phineas's head, but a voice behind him asked first.

"Luke, how the heck did you get up there?" Cullen called out from the couch behind Phineas.

"Da' fuck am I suppose to know?" Luke answered back. Phineas just smiled and went for the front door. He opened and entered inside, but was almost knocked down by a blur of yellow.

"Watch it kid." Daniel's voice blurted out as he ran out the front door.

"Get back here gringo!" Marcel shouted as he too ran past Phineas and out the front door.

Phineas just closed the front door behind him, and made his way over to the guest bedroom. Taking off his jacket, he tossed it onto the big neat puffy bed. Seeing how big the bed was, Phineas couldn't fight the temptation to test the bed's bounciness. He threw his back on the bed.

Suddenly, his ears picked up the scratchy revving of motorbikes outside.  
>Quickly, he bounced to his feet and dashed through the little house. As he opened the front door, he spotted the sight of a cluster of guys with leather jackets, sunglasses, and with a variety of different spike gel-hairstyles were standing in front of parked black Ducati motorbikes.<br>As Phineas closed the door behind him, he found Cullen, Marcel, and Daniel standing in front of the couch, facing off the uninvited company.

"Hey jackass, you think you can just beat us and leave with our cash?" the leader of the gang barked.

"Well, if you bet it all like that... then yea!" Cullen answered back.

"Listen man, we want our cash back now; and you don't wanna mess with us." the guy warned.

"Fool...why the hell would we want to mess around guys?" Marcel asked.

"Hey was I talking to you gringo? No. No comprendo essay!" the leader argued at Marcel, "How about you get off your lazy ass and get back to cutting the grass eh?"

The punk bikers around him snickered, but the opposing faction stayed silent.

"Not funny at all fucker." Marcel growled.

Phineas could feel the tension in the air; the familiar tension that he had always felt before a fight.

"Dude don't make me call my cousin." Marcel warned.

"Oh right, how about you call the rest of your brothers and sisters over the border." the leader shot back.

"Hey stop messing with my friend! Don't make me come down there!" Luke shouted from on top of the roof.

"How ya gonna get down stupid?"

"Hey listen," Cullen interrupted, "you take your little Ducati's, and meet me and my buddies tommorow at the Scrap Yard."

"Fine then." the leader snarled, and spat out in front of Cullen. He turned around, glowering at Phineas, and then he signaled for the biker punks to mount up.

The group watched silently as they rode off with their noisy black Ducati's. Cullen turned around and gave Phineas an assuring smile.

"You can go home now Phineas."

"What about...you and them?" Phineas questioned, referring to the gang that just left.

"Don't be worryin' about it," Daniel told him, "you just need to get your ass back home."

"Cullen, you know I want to help." Phineas stated, looking Cullen directly in his eyes.

"Phineas, you can come back in a few days, but not now." Cullen told him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Why?" Phineas asked, trying not to be oblivious.

"When it's over, we'll tell you." Cullen said, "Now don't come around here until next week, got it?"

"But-"

"Amigo, do you trust this guy?" Marcel interrupted.

"Yeah he's like an uncle." Phineas said, as if it was obvious.  
>Cullen winced with a smile and pulled away from Phineas, while Daniel was holding back his laughter. Marcel just smiled.<p>

"Ok, then do as he says, and don't be around no longer."

"Fine, I'll be back in a week." Phineas declared and went inside to got fetch his leather jacket.

"Uh guys?" Luke called out from on the rooftop, "I need a latter to get down."

Phineas tried not to laugh when he heard that.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

><p>Author's note: The next chapters will get better, I promise. Happy Halloween everyone who celebrates it! Special thanks to the readers who are reading this now. Thanks!<p> 


	7. Quality Time

Author's notes: Just because I am posting a bunch of other stories, doesn't mean I have forgotten about this one. It's called multi-tasking...it's possible! Oh, and why are some stories rated M because of 'rock and roll'? Seriously! I listen to Rock and Heavy Metal! Enough ranting, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Quality Time<strong>

With Phineas being unintentionally stuck at home, he didn't have much to do. Candace and Jeremy had returned home with Amanda to their house on the other side of Danville, so that crossed babysitting out of the options list. His mother and father were busy working at their antique shop, which somehow managed to pay bills and insurance. He could stop by Danville High and visit his friends, but no doubt that the teachers wouldn't allow him to 'interrupt' the class, as they had once put it.

"Maybe a stroll around town..." Phineas mumbled, and he realized what he had said. "Stroll...who says stroll?"

He sat up from the couch and grasped the remote on the coffee table. He turned the T.V. on, and started to flip through channels. Phineas stopped switching channels, and found himself on some documentary about the ocean sea sponge.

"_The sea sponge is a marine life form that lives under water..."_ the narrator depicted, and continued to talk about the colorful sea sponge on screen. The idle thought of water popped into Phineas's mind.

'Water...'

'Life...'

'Water life...'

'Aqua...'

'Aquatic...'

'Semi-aquatic...'

"Perry!" Phineas proclaimed with amusement, and turned to find his pet platypus in his little pet bed, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, where's Perry?" Phineas wondered aloud, looking around the place. Wanting to find out, Phineas turned off the T.V. and rose from the couch. He started to look around for his pet, but found no evidence of where Perry might be. Not in his pet-bed, kitchen, basement, kitchen, or in their bedrooms.

Phineas found himself standing in the middle of his bedroom.

He glanced at the old alarm clock that was placed beside his bed.  
>Every day he use to wake up before 7:00 A.M. and hit the alarm right before it rang, and then he and Ferb would get ready to start their next big project.<p>

That little reminisce brought back good memories and times he had spend with his little group of neighborhood friends building and seizing every day.

With that in mind, he turned and gazed out the window and set his eyes upon the green backyard with the oak tree. He tried to remember all of their inventions, but his brain could vaguely recall any of them. Still remembering the spot, Phineas reached under his bed, and pulled out a bunch of rolled-up dusty blueprints made long ago. His eyes almost reacted to the amount of dust that brew up.

Carrying the blueprints under one arm, Phineas headed down and made his way outback.

As he slid open the back door glass panel, he felt the warm air hit him and the fresh smell of air.

Phineas went out and closed the panel behind him, and went over to the big oak tree.

As Phineas leaned back on the tree's trunk and plopped himself down on the grass, he noticed that the oak tree's trunk had grown thicker.

Setting the stack up rolled up blueprints beside him, he grabbed one of them and unrolled it, revealing the blueprint and design to a big invention.

"I remember this..." Phineas sighed as he examined the model and calculations, which seemed to tick inside the back of his mind. "Was I really that smart?"

Just then, he felt something soft brush up against his arm. His arm jerked up, and Phineas almost started to jump up, but his eyes caught the little rectangular teal shape and a beak.

"Oh, there you are Perry." Phineas said as he pulled the little middle-aged platypus close to him.

"Grrrrgrrrgrrr." Perry greeted in his dumb-minded state.

"Do you remember when Ferb and I built this?" Phineas asked caringly, reaching his arm around Perry to show the blueprint.  
>Perry mindlessly plopped his bill on Phineas's thigh and blankly stared at designs and schematics.<p>

"Grrrgrrrgrrr."

"Yeah I doubt we can't make it again." Phineas said placing the blueprints aside, and reached over for another blueprint.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER ON...<strong>

Ferb made his way to the back fence gate, carrying his heavy backpack full of a night's worth of homework.

In the distance, he could hear the sirens echo in the distance somewhere in the city; Ferb wondered who was the unfortunate sucker to get caught.

His hand opened the fence gate, and his eyes came upon the sight of Phineas sitting underneath the old oak tree with Perry sleeping on his lap. Phineas had two piles of their old blueprints stacked on both sides, and he was analyzing one of the blueprints.

Phineas heard Ferb's entry, and looked up with a smile at Ferb.

"Hey Ferb." Phineas greeted. Ferb nodded in his direction, and started to make his way over to the sliding glass backdoor.

"You do realize that your date with Isabella is tomorrow right?" Ferb reminded. Phineas's mind snapped.

"Oh yeah it is!" Phineas exclaimed, not knowing how the date and day had slipped his mind. "Wait, how do you know?"

"Isabella told the group."

"What group?"

Ferb raised his eyes and started to scratch his head.

"Wait, you mean this is a group thing?" Phineas asked, "As in a bunch of other dates go out together?"

Ferb just nodded his head, and went inside, leaving Phineas flabbergasted in the evening sunlight.

* * *

><p>Author's notes: Sorry for the filler chapter...but the next one will be better.<p> 


	8. One Gang Equals Another

Author's Note: I am sorry for the very long wait, but school projects are becoming more consistent now...but nonetheless, I was able to complete this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>One Gang Equals Another<strong>

It was a Friday afternoon, the sun was setting, and Phineas was just now waking up from his fitful sleep. Slowly pulling himself out of is mindless state, Phineas craned his head over to his old alarm clock to find the time.

It was 5:00 P.M.

Phineas's mind clicked.

They were all meeting up at 7:00 P.M.

"Holy SHIT!" Phineas groaned aloud as he turned his body over in the bed to rise.

_WHUMP!_

Phineas tumbled out of his bed and landed on the floor.

"Shit." Phineas griped as he pushed himself up and immediately ran to the bathroom.

* * *

><p><strong>DOWN STAIRS...<strong>

Lawrence had plopped himself down on the couch, his mind and body exhausted from the day's work at the antique shop. Suddenly, his heard the faint sound of running shower water from upstairs.

"Hmm," he thought to himself aloud, "I see that Phineas is up now."

* * *

><p>(...,,,...,,,)<p>

Phineas was frantically wiping himself down with the towel.

"God damn it; why didn't that stupid alarm clock not wake me up sooner?" Phineas griped to himself as he threw down the towel and reached for his cloths lying in a pile near the sink.

Hastily, Phineas struggled into his boxers and jeans. After he slid his orange T-shirt on, he glanced at himself in the mirror to check himself.

Seeing how his red hair was still wet and had that bed-head look, Phineas grabbed the comb and started to fiercely comb his hair.  
>After that, Phineas set the comb down, and examined himself again. He showed off his smile, but his eyes detected yellow traces on his teeth.<p>

'I should brush.' Phineas mentally pointed out as he snatched a yellow toothbrush and some peppermint toothpaste, squeezed the toothpaste onto the yellow toothbrush, and started to brush intensely. After a minute, Phineas spat and rinsed out his mouth, the peppermint flavor clinging to his mouth, and he quickly checked the time on his phone.

5:45 P.M.

Even though Phineas knew there was still some time, he knew very well how people usually arrive early.

Raking his hand through his hair, he exited the bathroom and dashed over to the stairs and down.

* * *

><p>"Don't forget your jacket Phineas, it's gonna get chilly tonight." Lawrence said as he watched Phineas abruptly stop at the coat rack.<p>

"Thanks Dad." Phineas answered appreciatively as he grabbed and put on his leather jacket. Sticking his hand in the right side pocket, Phineas's fingers brushed against his motorcycle keys.

'Perfect.'

"See ya Dad!" Phineas called out as he exited the house.

"Have fun!" Lawrence called out to Phineas as Phineas closed and locked the door on the outside. Lawrence's eyes lingered over to the fancy coat rack, and he studied its design.

"Hmm, it was so nice of Cullen to get us that coat rack; its design suits the place."

Meanwhile outside, Phineas had mounted his motorcycle and ignited the engine. Phineas carefully backed out into the road, and drove off to the Googolplex Mall.

({}.{})

* * *

><p>The clouds were painted orange and red as Phineas walked through the crowded parking lot and towards the huge Googolplex Mall.<p>

The parking lamp lights had clicked on and buzzed with fluorescent light to illuminate the parking lot.

As he walked, he could see a group of boys and girls waiting near the front entrance of the Mall. Phineas spotted Ferb quite easily with his green hair.

"Phineas!" Isabella's voice exclaimed. Out of the bunch, Isabella pushed her way out, and ran right over to Phineas.  
>She was wearing jeans and a white T shirt with pink flowers decorated on it, along with her pink bow in her hair.<p>

"Oh Phineas," Isabella greeted as she grabbed his hand, "it's about time you got here."

"Wha?" Phineas managed to say as he was pulled off his shoes by Isabella.  
>When he finally regained his footing, he found that the group had given a wide space for them. Isabella's soft hand still held Phineas's hand.<p>

"Everyone, this is my date," Isabella proclaimed and turned to Phineas, "Phineas, you remember everyone right?"

Phineas took a quick glance around, and realized who exactly were the members of tonight's group.

"Oh yeah, hey guys." Phineas greeted them all. The gang went through the Mall's main entrance, and they stood bunched up near the escalators.  
>Isabella was holding onto his arm now, not that Phineas minded.<p>

"So Phineas, what's with this new bad boy reputation all the girls are talking about you?" Django asked, an arm around Milly's waist.

"My...reputation?" Phineas wondered.

"Yeah, just about every girl in Danville High is talking about your return," Django said, "and a few things about how handsome and hot you are...but I don't see it."

"That's a relief." Phineas chuckled, "So what are you doing here?" He noticed Django's arm around Milly's waist, pulling her very close to him.

"Well, I'm just taking my girlfriend to the movies." Django replied with a smile.

"Yep." Milly replied, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Phineas! You should have told me you were back!" an Indian accented voice said. Phineas glanced at the speaker.

"Well Baljeet, I don't think they would allow me on college grounds."

"Oh, that is so true." Baljeet realized. One of the girls hooked her arm around Baljeet's arm.

"Come on Baljeet," Ginger coaxed sweetly, "I love your brains, but can we just enjoy the night for tonight? For me?"

"Okay, for you." Baljeet sighed.

"You're getting softer everyday, nerd." Buford remarked, officially bored.

"Well he's got more brains than you, Buford." Adyson shot back at her boyfriend.

"What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" Buford demanded. Both of the two were looking each other square in the eyes.

"Could you two save it for after the movie?" Whiz's voice asked. Phineas suddenly realized that the members of Buford's Bones gang were also apart of the group, too.

"Fine," Adyson scoffed, and turned her back on Buford, "Gretchen, what movie are we all seeing?"

"I don't know; what do you guys want to see?" Gretchen asked everyone while she was cleaning her glasses lenses with a cloth.

Gretchen wore a red t-shirt and jeans. Her hair had grown out, but it was neatly brushed, and she was about a head shorter than Phineas.

"How about that new spy movie?" Ferb suggested.

"Oh, the Defector 2?" Buford piped up, fully interested.

"Why not Parasite?" Baljeet suggested.

Phineas glanced around at all the girls, whose faces showed extreme disinterest, except for Adyson.

"Or how about Ruby Eyes?" Isabella suggested.

"Phillip dies, and Jessie ends up with Samuel." Buford blurted out. All of the girls gasped. All the guys stared at Buford.

"What? I looked it up on Wikipedia." Buford explained with a shrug.

"Thanks for ruining the movie, Buford!" Ginger groaned.

"Hey, at least we can all go watch something else instead of that chick flick." Buford stated.

"Fine, let's go see Tier Zero, I heard it's based off of a real military operation." the naturally high George proposed.

"They all say that." Robert scoffed.

"Naw man, it's actually real," George defended, "I heard that General Emile told the filmmakers about one of his missions that he went on with a bunch of his comrades."

"Wait, you mean _the_ General Emile?" Robert asked.

"Yeah man, I heard they-"

"No!" all of the girls shouted. George almost jumped in surprise.

"How about Heart Stone?" Katie offered.

"Yeah!" all of the girls exclaimed in unison.

"Ain't no fuckin' way I'm gonna see a fuckin' movie about stones in shapes of hearts!" defied Buford. The Bones all agreed; none of them wanted to see a chick flick.

"How about we take a vote?" Ferb recommended.

"Oh, great idea Ferb." Baljeet added.

"Yeah, sounds good." Gretchen piped up.

Robert gave a disappointed sigh as he rolled out a kink in his neck; he was expecting a fight of some sort. Everyone had agreed, excluding Buford.

"Come on Buford," Phineas tried to persuade, "the sooner we get this done, the better we can go watch the movie."

Buford just gave Phineas an angry glare. He didn't know if Buford was going to argue back, or attack him; knowing Buford, it could be both.

"Buford..." Adyson warned. Buford turned to her, and the two exchanged glares, neither one looking away from each other.  
>Their relationship didn't reflect any kind of love and care to Phineas, just two stubborn and tough individuals.<p>

"Fine." Buford growled through clenched teeth.

"Raise your hand for Tier Zero." Whiz announced. A bunch hands shot up.

"Raise your hand for Heart Stone." Whiz announced, with a trace of disgust in his voice. Another bunch of hands shot up.

"Heart Stone wins!" Isabella happily declared. The girls cheered, while the Bones gang growled.

"Damn it Baljeet! I thought you were a man!" Buford rebuked Baljeet.

"Hey, I voted for Tier Zero!" Baljeet defended with hands raised to his chest level.

"Don't blame me, I voted for Tier Zero, too!" Django said.

"Let's go before it starts!" Isabella said, and stepped onto the escalator, with Phineas still in tow. The girls quickly got on the escalator leading to the Movie Theater floor, and the boys reluctantly followed.

The gang got in line for the box office, and Phineas and Isabella were the first of the group.

"Two for Heart Stone." Phineas spoke.

"That will be $20, sir." the box office guy told them.  
>While Isabella dug around inside her purse, Phineas pulled out a $20 out of his pocket, and paid for both of them.<br>Isabella was about to hand over a $10, but then Phineas offered her ticket.

"Oh," Isabella said in surprise, "thanks."

"No problem." Phineas smiled. Both of them smiled as they got out of line to go into the theater.

"So what have you been up to?" Phineas asked Isabella, trying to pass time, and also interested in what had gone on with her life.

"Not much," Isabella said, holding her arm, "I got a car, and a few other things."

"A car?" Phineas repeated.

"Yep."

"What kind?"

"Uh, my mom bought it from her friend...I think it was a...pink Cadillac?"

"You like it?"

"It's nice." Isabella said, tilting her head to the side.

"You know I could have Cullen trick it out for you, right?" Phineas suggested. Isabella giggled.

"We both know what he would probably do."

"Yeah..." Phineas sighed. He decided to say what was itching in his mind, but he wanted to ask first.

"Isabella, can I tell you something?" Phineas asked, leaning close.

"What might that be?" Isabella wondered, having to lean up to Phineas.

"I missed you." Phineas said softly. Isabella blushed.

"Me too." Isabella replied quietly so only Phineas could hear. His mind battled over if he should just kiss her right then and there, but the feud quickly ended when Phineas had a strange feeling of being watched from behind. He craned his head back, and spotted the group had already went through the ticket station for their movies.

"We better get going." Phineas said. Isabella glanced behind Phineas, and saw the group waiting for them.

"Yeah," Isabella said, a little disappointed that their moment ended, "let's go see the movie." Both Phineas and Isabella rejoined the group after they gave the ticket station their tickets.

"Theater 12, down the left hall on your right." the box office guy instructed.  
>The group walked over and entered the vast room with seats going up. Most of the seats were already taken though, but they somehow managed to grab a full row at the very top.<p>

"This is gonna be a long night." Robert grumbled as they all sat down and the trailers started to play on the screen.

Phineas sat down in his seat, and before he knew it, Isabella had lifted back the arm rest between his and her seats, and leaned on Phineas's jacket.

"Comfy?" Phineas asked as he put an arm around her.

"Yep." Isabella sighed.

* * *

><p>(_O.O_)<p>

**DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE MOVIE...**

Phineas felt his mind going numb and his urging to run the hell out of the theater room. There was only so much drama a guy could handle in a chick flick. He glanced around and saw that all the other guys showed the same urge. Except for Ferb, who actually showed some interest in the movie, despite that he wanted to see Tier Zero.

"_Oh Josh, I have to go."_

"_But why Mary? After all we've been through together."_

"_I just..."_

"_Wait, is it because of Connor, isn't it?"_

"_I...Josh..."_

"_Mary, why would you do this to me?"_

"Cause you're a whiney bitch-ass monkey!" Robert yelled from his seat. Phineas saw all the other guys in the theater laughing, while all the girls just glared at him.

"Shut up!" all the girls told him. Phineas felt his stress level lower from the brief outburst.

"_I can change for you Mary, I'll do anything for you!"_

"Change your cloths faggot! You look like the fuckin' blue waffle!" Whiz shouted. Every guy in the theater busted out laughing, while all the girls were groaning in disgust. Buford's cackling could be heard above all the other laughs and snickers. Phineas could barely contain his laughter. A light slug from the shoulder from Isabella caused him to control himself.

"_Mary...I'm sorry."_

"_Josh? Josh? Josh! What are you doing!"_

"_I can't take this any more!"_

"_Put the knife down Joshua!"_

"Emo punk ass bitch ain't he?" Robert added.

Just then, near the bottom front row seats, Phineas saw one of the staff employees with a red glowing baton was making his way up. The other guys saw him approaching as well.

"Aw fuck," Robert growled, "we'll meet you outside Buford."

Phineas watched as Robert, Whiz, and for some reason George, got up from their seats, and started to hop over rows to get down.  
>Other guys were laughing and cheering as the three boys out passed the employee, and ran out of the theater, with the employee chasing after them.<p>

Phineas was holding back his laughter at what he just saw. After a minute, the hilarity died down, and the guys continued to unwillingly watch movie playing movie.

* * *

><p>(\\O.O/\/)

**AFTER THE MOVIE...**

"That movie was amazing!" Isabella complimented as they all exited the theater with the audience. The gang made their way towards the escalators.

"I'd give it a four out of five." Adyson criticized.

"I loved the ending." Milly said, holding Django's hand.

"What'd think of the movie Ferb?" Phineas asked his step-brother, who hadn't spoken at all during the movie.

Ferb opened his mouth to speak.

"To quote 'Gone with the Wind', I frankly didn't give a damn; I just wanted to watch something."

One by one, the gang took the escalator down to the 1st floor, and waiting at the end of the escalator were none other than Robert, George, and Whiz.

"What the freak'n fuck took you guys?" Robert demanded.

"It was a long movie." Phineas answered.

"Yeah, no shit Phineas." Robert grumbled under his breath. Phineas felt slightly hurt from his harsh attitude. Unfortunately, someone noticed, but fortunately, it was someone who understood.

"Don't mind him, man, he's just grouchy cause he's on his period." George said jokingly. The Skulls, minus Robert busted out laughing.

"George, I think you got me confused with Buford." Robert directed the insult towards Buford. Buford's expression turned into anger.

"Hey, how 'bout both of you shut your pie holes?" Buford demanded.

(..,,..,,)

* * *

><p>While the Bones were having their usual fight amongst themselves, the rest of the gang was having their own conversation.<p>

"So how far west did you go?" Gretchen wondered, the question aimed at Phineas.

"To the California Coast." Phineas answered.

"I think the real question is: How many fights did you and Cullen get into?" Django asked. Phineas felt a bit of pride from the fights he had been in during his trip.

"Quite a few during the first months." Phineas answered, "But not that many during the end." Phineas's tongue idly licked his gums, remembering how a few days ago they held the taste of blood.

"Is life on the road tough?" Baljeet inquired. Phineas had to take a few good seconds of thinking to answer that.

"Yep, at first, it was hell; but then after a few months, you get use to it." Phineas explained from his experience, "It sure did change my personality for the better good."  
>He felt the regrets and sorrowfulness start to sink into his heart, breaking down Phineas's mood. He pressed his lips together, internally pushing the feelings aside.<p>

"Don't worry Phineas, we forgive you." Isabella assured him, as if she could read his emotions. Her fingers entwined with his.  
>Phineas was taken aback from her words, and felt a deep happy feeling melt away the miserable feelings.<p>

"It's nothing, really." Phineas told her, with scratching his ear. Adyson placed her hands on her hips and gave him a disbelief smile.

"Phineas, the past is the past," Adyson told him, "what you are now really matters."

Phineas gave a small smile.

"Besides," Ginger started to speak, "we're your friends!"

"What sort of friends would not forgive their friends?" Baljeet asked.

"We all knew that wasn't you." Gretchen said.

"But still," Phineas tried to object, "that _me_ was still me, and I ended up getting into fights, arguing with everyone, flunking out of high school, not only-"

"Phineas." Django interrupted his ramble. Phineas's mouth halted in its next syllable. "You changed, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes I did." Phineas sighed.

"So why do you hold the past against you?"

Phineas tried to find an answer, but couldn't.

"You are too hard on yourself, Phineas." Baljeet stated. Phineas just gave a nod of acceptance, feeling a bit better.

Phineas knew that this little intervention wouldn't change his ways of judgment instantly, but it was a good start.

"Thanks guys." Phineas thanked.

"Anytime, Flynn." Milly guaranteed.

"Speaking of time, what time is it?" Baljeet wondered.

"About a quarter till ten." Ferb answered while looking at his watch.

"We better get going," Adyson spoke for all of them and turned to the Bones still shooting insults at each other, "hey boys we're leaving!"  
>The Bones rejoined the group, and the lot of them started to head to the front entrance.<p>

* * *

><p>As they were halfway from the entrance, the sight of a bunch of Danville High jocks entering the Mall made all of them either go cold with fear or flush with anger.<p>

The sight of Trent Vanguard leading the pack of jocks made Isabella stand closer to Phineas, clutching his left arm.

"Well, well," Trent greeted Phineas with his arms spread out, a step away from Phineas, "if it isn't the bad boy rebel himself!"

"I'm a what?" Phineas asked.

"I told you the chicks were talking about you." Django piped up.

"Quiet art boy." Trent snapped, then returned his attention back to Phineas.

"What do you want Trent?" Phineas asked with a serious tone. He was trying to hold back the natural anger for him, but it was seeping into his voice, and it only encouraged Trent.

"I just wanted to tell you that you can have the bitch for all I care." Trent declared, pointing at Isabella. Phineas's anger started to boil.

"Don't call her that." Phineas hissed.

"Why? What do you care what I call this slut? Whaddya gonna go?" Trent demanded.  
>Phineas took a step forward, closing the space between him and Trent, and glared at him straight in the eye.<br>Trent just gave him a cynical look.

"I'm gonna break your nose." Phineas threatened.

At the sound of this, the jocks standing behind Trent massed forward and flanked Trent.  
>At the same time, the Bones and the rest of the boys in their gang rushed to Phineas's side. The Danville High Varsity Football Team faced off against the Bones and a few individuals.<br>Everyone could feel the heat between Trent and Phineas. Isabella rushed to Phineas's side.

"Phineas please, let it go." she pleaded, and tried to pull him away.

"Yeah, listen to the bitch, Flynn." Trent taunted. Isabella felt a mix of anger, sadness, and abandonment towards her ex: Trent Vanguard.

"Call her that one more time." Phineas dared with clenched teeth. There was a tense silence between the gangs, both waiting for something to happen.

Trent gave him a smirk.

"Bitch."

Phineas's fist swung forward, but he clubbed it too low, and punch at Trent's jaw with a loud smack. The next moment, the two gangs went at each other's throats, and an all out brawl let loose.

Throughout all the confusion, Phineas managed to dodge two jocks that lunged at him and throw himself at the staggering Trent.  
>Trent saw the incoming Phineas, and held his arms up to grab Phineas's neck.<br>The two collided and toppled over.

They both fell to the floor amongst the chaos riot that surrounded them. Trent had both his hands clasped on Phineas's throat, but Phineas was over him and throwing punches at Trent's face. Phineas managed to hit Trent several times in the cheekbone, the hard contact of knuckles swiping against bone dulling his hands, but Trent still held his arms out and was choking Phineas.

Phineas felt the harsh choking threatening to cut off his breath, but Phineas kept punching Trent in the head, hoping he loose concentration.

Just then, Buford was thrown against Phineas, throwing him off of Trent. Phineas rolled on the cold floor, being stepped on several times by shoes of fighters fighting.

Out of nowhere, Trent was on top of Phineas with a hand on his neck and a fist ready to pummel Phineas's head.

Phineas threw up his hand to grab Trent's descending fist, but he didn't quite make it in time, and he felt the sharp pain as Trent punched him in the eye.  
>He tried to rise and throw Trent off of him, but Trent slammed his hand down on Phineas's throat and brought Phineas's head crashing against the Mall floor.<p>

Trent sent another jab across Phineas's cheek, and more pain flared across Phineas's face.

While being choked and beaten on the ground, Phineas threw an uncoordinated blow, felt his fist slam into something, and heard Trent yelp.

Trent withdrew off of Phineas, releasing him from his grasp. Phineas started to get up, but another set of legs, one of them being Django's, tripped over him, knocking him down again.

As Phineas begun to rise again, his eyes locked with Trent, who was a few feet in front of him, also getting up.  
>He could see a little drop of blood trickle from Trent's nose, and felt satisfied that he had broken Trent's nose.<br>He snarled as he and Trent lunged at each other again.

"Enough!" rang a familiar voice over the entire brawl.

Phineas felt a hand yank had his red hair, and felt dull pain as the hand pulled him back. He also saw a hand had done the same thing to Trent's hair, but Trent was resisting.  
>Phineas glanced to see the owner of the hands holding them back.<p>

"Cullen!" Phineas exclaimed.

"Let go asshole!" Trent raged, and tried to throw Cullen's hand off of him. Cullen just turned to Trent.

"How old are you?" Cullen asked plainly.

"I'm 18, you dumbfuck!" Trent shouted, still trying in vain to escape his grasp.

Just then, Cullen released his grasp on Phineas, and swung at Trent. Phineas saw Cullen's fist smash into Trent's already broken nose.

Trent yelp in pain and stumbled back, Cullen releasing Trent's head. Phineas felt himself sensing his surroundings, and glanced around to see what had happened.

Ferb, with his green hair and cloths all shaggy, was being held by the neck by Cullen's friend, Marcel, who was also holding a jock by the neck with his other hand.

He spotted Daniel standing in the middle of an open circle, holding back several jocks on one side, and George, Whiz, Django and Baljeet on the other. Phineas also saw that Luke was holding back Robert and Buford from five jocks cringing in pain on the floor. Phineas wondered how Luke managed to hold back both Robert and Buford, who were a head taller than him.

"Who the hell started this?" Cullen demanded, his voice full of nothing but importance.

"He did!" both Trent and Phineas lashed out their index fingers and pointed at each other. Cullen just looked at both of them.

"You punched my jaw first!" Trent argued.

"You were talking trash about my friends."

"That's cause they are trash! Especially that Mexican whore of yours!" Trent lashed out, and earning the attention of Marcel.

"Cullen, permission to beat his ass?" Marcel growled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"No, I got him." Cullen said, and leaned in close to Trent. Phineas watched as he motioned Trent to follow him, and the two walked off to the side, with Cullen in deep conversation with Trent Vanguard.

Only then did Phineas realize that his body ached in throbbing pain, and his breath was ragged. Isabella ran up to Phineas, all worried and concerned.

"Phineas, are you ok?" Isabella asked anxiously as she examined him.

"Yeah I'm fine." Phineas told her softly. Isabella just looked up at him. It brought distraught to Phineas as he saw her cute face replaced with an expression of sheer panic.

"Your eye...it's bruised." Isabella said quietly. Phineas just blinked, and felt a sting in his right eye.

"I'll be fine." Phineas told her.

"No Phineas, we gotta-"

"Isabella," Phineas interrupted and held her thin arms with his hands. She immediately froze up and looked at Phineas with worry, "it's ok; I'm alright." he told her.

Phineas could see a small smile make its way back onto Isabella. She tried to hold her tears back, but her eyes just watered up, and she hugged Phineas, burying her head in his shirt. Phineas returned the hug, and he felt like he never wanted to let her go. Phineas wanted to tell her something that would assure her, but he couldn't find the right words. Phineas glanced around, and saw Baljeet being tended to by Ginger, Milly caring for Django, and Adyson treating Buford against his own will.

The world started to fade out around him, and the only thing on his mind was not letting go of Isabella.

* * *

><p>({}.O)<p>

After a good five minutes, the two gangs slowly drifted to the sides. Phineas glanced over at Cullen, who was still in deep conversation with Trent.

"Is everyone ok?" Baljeet asked the guys.

"Yeah, I just got a sore in my shoulder." Django answered. Ferb gave a thumbs up with a scarred hand.

"That's a nasty bruise on your eye, Flynn." George stated, everyone turned and looked at Phineas's eye, which was surrounded by blue-ish black skin.

"It'll heal." Phineas told them. He then glanced around, and saw Cullen making his way back over, with Trent following behind him.

"Isabella, Phineas, I think Trent has something to say." Cullen declared. Both Phineas and Isabella turned and listened.

Trent raised his head and was about to speak, but then he froze up. Cullen followed Trent's gaze, and understood.

"Just...Phineas and Isabella, please." Cullen requested. The gang behind Phineas and Isabella slowly turned around and walked away, with the Bones cursing under their breaths of course.

"Now, you were saying Trent?" Cullen asked. Trent just gave a weary look at Cullen, then turned back to Phineas and Isabella.

"I'm...sorry...for...everything." Trent managed to say. Phineas noticed that his voice didn't contain his self-centered, jerk attitude as it did before, but more of a humbled and meek tone.

"Sorry for calling you those names, Isabella." Trent spoke, looking at his ex girlfriend.

"It's ok Trent," Isabella told him softly, "I forgive you." Trent just gave a small grim smile.

"Phineas," Trent started to speak again, and looked at Phineas in the eye. Phineas tried to find some sort of threaten or harsh sneer in Trent's eyes, but he didn't find any of that.

"I...apologize," Trent said, casting a quick glance at Cullen before looking back at Phineas, "about what I did and said since you got back."

Phineas quickly tried to find a reason not to accept his apology, but a harsh, cold stare from Cullen told him he better accept for all of their own good, as well as Trent asking for forgiveness.

"Apology accepted." Phineas found his forgiving self say. Trent still looked at him with a grim smile, and nodded his head.

"You're lucky, Flynn." Trent told him.

"Why?" Phineas asked curiously.

"You got _her_." Trent said, and nodded towards Isabella. Without another word, Trent turned around and walked back, with Cullen escorting him.

Feeling that it was time to go, Phineas gently tugged on Isabella, and took her back to their group.

After a minute, all of the jock gang had exited the Googolplex Mall and made their way home, leaving

* * *

><p>Cullen's little posse and their group standing outside the Mall.<p>

"Thanks Cullen." Phineas said.

"No problem," Cullen said plainly, "y'all ok now?"

Phineas glanced around at the rest of the group.

"Yeah, I think so." Phineas spoke for them all.

"Good. Now all of you get home before something else starts." Luke addressed them all.

"Hasta la vista." Marcel said as he, Cullen, Daniel, and Luke walked away.

"Dude, you watch too much Terminator movies." Cullen said.

"Ooohh, look who's talking gringo!" Marcel shot back.

Phineas returned his attention to the group's conversation.

"We better get going." Buford said, referring to the rest of the Bones. The Bones started to head off in the parking lot, with Adyson walked beside Buford.

"Shotgun!" Adyson declared. All of the other Bones groaned with jealousy.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER ON...<strong>

"You sure your eye is gonna be okay?" Isabella asked as she stood on her door mat in the front.

"Yeah, I'm good." Phineas answered with a smile. The truth was, he was sore all over his body, especially his eye.

"Sooo..." Isabella said while rocking back and forth on her feet. Phineas looked down and scratched the back of his hair, as _if_ he had an itch. Neither of them wanted to leave.

"Thanks for night, Phineas," Isabella thanked, "I had a great time."

"Yeah, me too." Phineas said, but there was something else he wanted to tell her that was itching at the top of his head.

"I better get in before my mom starts to worry." Isabella advised, and turned to open the door.

"Isabella, wait." Phineas blurted out and gently grabbed her elbow. Isabella quickly whirled around, a bit surprised.

"Yes Phineas?" she asked.

"I just wanted to say..." Phineas started to say, but his throat suddenly lost his voice, and his mind strained to give him the words.

'Screw it.'

"You look very beautiful tonight." Phineas complimented, and gave a smile. Isabella blushed.

"Thanks, and you were very brave tonight, too." Isabella complimented. Phineas felt flattered as he returned her compliment with a smile. Isabella turned and took out her keys to unlock her door.

Phineas found himself standing there, just watching her.

'Maybe it's time for me to leave...' Phineas thought to himself.

However, before Phineas could move, Isabella had already unlocked the door, and with a relieved sigh, she whirled around and grabbed Phineas's leather jacket.

Phineas was about to react when Isabella yanked him forward.

"Whoa-mmm!" Phineas managed to say before his lips smashed against Isabella's. It took Phineas a moment to realize what was happening, and when he did, he returned the kiss with his eyes closed.  
>The touch of her soft lips against his and the feeling made Phineas's mind go numb.<p>

Before his arms could automatically wrap around her waist, Isabella broke the kiss, and dashed for her door. When Phineas opened his eyes, he saw a brief glimpse of Isabella's head sticking out of the door. With a wink and a dirty smile, she closed the door.

Phineas felt himself grinning broadly look a fool.

'Now it's time to leave.' Phineas's mind told him. With that, he turned around, and started to make his way across Isabella's front yard.

Phineas wrestled with the urge to turn around, barge through the door, find Isabella, and to make out with her right then and there. Thankfully, Phineas's mind won over instinct.

Absentmindedly, his mind calculated and started to predict when there might be a chance for Phineas to follow through with that instinct.

Phineas didn't know the exact answer, but he figured it would be in the near future.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

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><p>Author's note: I am regretfully sorry for the long wait. I had a bunch of homework that needed to be done on the computer, that and I needed a boost of inspiration. Where am I currently when I finished this? I am in Thailand...the environment and atmosphere really help with motivation...along with AC DC music. I hope this chapter was decent enough. Thanks for reading.<p> 


	9. History and Its Wonders

Author's note: Like I said before, this storyline is moving at a very fast rate! Thanks for reading and leaving reviews if you did.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

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><p><strong>History and Its Wonders<strong>

It was a sunny, yet cloudy afternoon in the Tri-State Area. The Danville News Station predicted it to be a sunny day today; apparently, their predictions were half accurate.

It had been a full week since the movie night and word of the fight spread like a blazing inferno in Danville High. The fight had been known as the 'Bones vs. Jocks Fight', and many individuals argued over which side had won. Word also got out about how the 'rebellious, bad boy Flynn' assisted the Bones in the brawl. Again, Phineas had no idea how that title for him got started.

Trent had ceased to be hostile towards Phineas and Isabella, and so did the rest of the jocks, probably by Trent's order.

The thought of Isabella made Phineas all fuzzy on the inside.  
>He and Isabella had been having long chats with each other via cell phone, and he usually tended to take her to and from Danville High on his V-rod motorcycle, with Isabella always giving him a kiss when she gets home. Their relationship started to blossom at a fast rate. So fast, Phineas had already considered asking her to be his girlfriend again.<p>

Phineas stop his musing over the week and returned his awareness on the matter at hand. His mind had somehow vaguely kept track of the days, and he had decided to pay Cullen another visit, since the issue with the punk bikers had been about two weeks ago.

As Phineas slowed down his motorcycle into Cullen's driveway, he could hear the sound of rock music booming from inside Cullen's house. Phineas cut the ignition, dismounted his bike, and went over to the front door.

'He's not gonna hear the doorbell.' Phineas thought as his finger moved for the little doorbell button. He wondered if any of the neighbors had filed a noise complaint yet.

Phineas pressed the doorbell, but didn't even hear the ring. Suddenly, the music ceased, and everything was quiet.

"I guess he heard..." Phineas mumbled, and leaned against the door, taking a good look at the neighborhood.

This neighborhood was actually reasonably peaceful. Phineas knew that at night time, everything changed, but during the day, it was peaceful. The Tri-State Academy was just down the road, and the buildings around the place made one big suburb with both new and old houses that matched with the place.

A big black raven swooped down, and landed in the front lawn grass. Phineas watched as it hopped around and started to peck at the grass. He somehow found it fascinating to watch the bird. That fascinated feeling disappeared when the raven turned and stared at him with its eyes. Phineas felt a shiver run up his spin as he shifted uneasily. Something about that raven made Phineas feel anxious and...cold.

The door Phineas was leaning on suddenly opened, and Phineas flailed his arms as he almost fell on the ground.

"Phineas, what you doing here?" Cullen greeted cheerfully. Phineas glanced back at the spot where the raven was, but he only saw the raven flying off, flapping its wings as it flew, like any normal bird would. Phineas turned his head back to Cullen.

"I wanted to stop by and see how things were." Phineas answered.

"I'm doing fine, thank you." Cullen informed him. A sweet odor drifted past Phineas, and he smelled it.

"What's that smell?" Phineas asked while sniffing the air coming out of Cullen's house.

"I just baked a cake." Cullen told him. His answer confused Phineas.

"Weren't you just listening to rock music?" Phineas wondered.

"Oh yea, I was listening to Kiss, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, and the last song you heard was by Guns N' Roses." Cullen answered.

"But you just said you were baking a cake!"

"While listening to music."

Phineas's mind sorted it out.

"Oh..." Phineas said, and then felt his stomach growl, "mind if I have some?"

"Yea sure, come in." Cullen invited. Phineas stepped into Cullen's house and made his way to the kitchen.

There on the circular wooden table, Phineas's eyes caught the sight of a freshly baked, frosted chocolate cake resting on a glass cake stand.  
>The closer Phineas got to the cake, the thicker the cake aroma in the air was.<p>

"Have a seat I'll serve ya in a minute." Cullen said from the other room. Phineas just plopped himself down in a chair, and stared at the cake, the temptation to just eat it ever so tempting.  
>Trying to find something to take his mind off the cake, Phineas scanned the room for anything interesting.<br>His eyes came across a black and white framed photograph of two soldiers, one with an arm on the other's shoulder.

Phineas rose from his seat and walked over to the photograph on the kitchen counter. He plucked the framed photo from its place and closely examined the two men in the picture. If his eyes didn't deceive him, the man with his arm on the other soldier looked like a young version of Cullen. He was so focused on the picture, he didn't hear Cullen enter the kitchen with a cake knife.

"Yea, that photo was taken awhile back." Cullen explained as he started to cut the cake. Phineas received a jolt of adrenaline from the sudden presence of Cullen in the room.

"Was this you?" Phineas asked as he brought the picture over to the table and sat down with it.

"Yep, that was me," answered Cullen as he continued to cut the cake, "that was taken...I think after our third mission."

"Mission?" Phineas repeated.

"You know, military stuff?" Cullen implied as he went to grab two plates and silverware.

"Oh," Phineas commented, "then who's this guy?"

"That was my comrade, Sergeant Sanchez, from New York." Cullen stated.

"Comrade? What were you guys in? Russia?" Phineas asked jokingly.

"No," Cullen answered back plainly, "not in that picture. There were a bunch of other guys in our team."

"If there is more, then why does this picture only show you two?" Phineas wondered.

"I asked if we could have our picture taken." Cullen said. As soon as those words let his mouth, Cullen realized what he had said, and turned to see a disturbed look on Phineas's face.

"Not like that, Flynn!" Cullen declared as he walked back over from the cabinet with forks and plates.

"I didn't say anything!" Phineas stated, holding back his laugh.

"Yea, but you thought about it," Cullen shot back as he passed Phineas a fork and plate, "and I can guarantee you that I am straight."

"Straight?" Phineas asked, not knowing the term.

"What? Your generation doesn't say that anymore?" Cullen wondered.

"Uh...I don't think so."

"It means not into boys." Cullen explained as he used the cake slicer to put a slice of chocolate cake on Phineas's plate. Phineas immediately started to gobble the cake with his fork.

"Oh, I see." Phineas said with a mouthful of cake.

"What about you Phineas? Are you straight?"

Phineas stopped eating his cake slice, and just stared at Cullen, who was serious about the question.

"Yes! I'm dating Isabella!" Phineas exclaimed. Cullen lurched his head back with a confused expression.

"Okay...I did not know that, but okay..."

"How many girls did you date Cullen?"

"How many did I date? Or how many did I love?" Cullen asked as he got a slice of chocolate cake for himself.

"Uh...date."

"Four." Cullen said as he started to eat his slice.

"And love?" Phineas asked, not sure by what he meant.

"Five."

Again, Phineas was confused.

"How is that possible?" Phineas asked as he retrieved another cake slice to eat.

"Simple." Cullen with a full mouth. He took a moment to swallow his food. "I never went out with the fifth woman."

Phineas almost choked out his cake, and looked at Cullen with a puzzled face, who just returned Phineas's look with a normal expression.

"I guess I should tell." Cullen figured as he ate more of his cake. Phineas slid his plate aside and listened with both ears.

"Please do."

"You know how I was a leader of the Souls biker gang?" Cullen recalled. Phineas remembered when Cullen revealed that to him at Danville High when Cullen schooled Professor Wallace.  
>The professor had been since then calling Cullen everyday to ask if something in 'biker history' was true or not.<p>

"Out of the Top Ten biker gangs, one of them was named The Rubies, lead by the only biker girl leader, Rose."

"And it was love at first sight?" Phineas wondered. It sounded like the typical conclusion of two bikers in love.

"Pfft, hell no," Cullen scoffed, "we hated each other to the core. Her Rubies and my Souls gang knew that we both just plain despised each other; which caused them both gangs to also become rivals."

"Was she...hot?" Phineas cautiously asked.

"Yep, especially with that slender body of hers and her long red hair," Cullen recalled as he was lost in thought. It took him a full moment to snap back into reality. He gave a slight smile,  
>"She always wore tight jeans, and a thin black jacket."<p>

"Like you?" Phineas added with a grin. Cullen flashed an insulted look at Phineas.

"I don't wear skinny jeans boy!" Cullen snapped, causing Phineas to laugh, "I wear jeans and sometimes a leather jacket!"

"My bad Cullen, continue." Phineas told him as he started to settle down.

"So we hated each other, yaddya, etc. Then about a month after the fourth Gathering, around the time when 'punk bikers' were starting to become the popular trend, we ran into each other at my friend's motel bar for a quick drink and a stop. I find it quite ironic that we both knew the owner."

"Nick's Motel and Club?"

"No, Nick didn't own that place when he was a biker leader."

"He was a what!" Phineas said almost falling back out of his seat, taken by surprise.

"Yeah, he lead the Dark Riders gang." Cullen enlightened.

Phineas's mind was blown by revelation once again.

"Back to the story, Rose and I met at my friend's motel bar, and we immediately started to argue very loudly; so loud that all the punk bikers in the place were bothered by it. One of them told us that we are like a 'married couple' and 'get the hell out'." Cullen paused in his story to grab another slice of cake.

"What happen next?" Phineas asked impatiently. Cullen swallowed his food.

"Rose told them to fuck off, and then we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by punk bikers with their switchblades." Cullen continued. "Right before the fight started, we both asked the bartender that if we won that fight, would he give us free drinks. He said yes, and I whipped out my crowbar, and she took out a hammer."

Phineas had the sudden feeling of when a child was told a story by their parents. Of course, Cullen wasn't his parent, but he still felt the impact of story telling.

"After about...five minutes, both Rose and I had knocked out every single punk biker in that motel bar, and we both got free beers. I was surprised how neither of us had gotten hurt and I started to wonder why, but Rose just told me to shut up and drink with her."

"Just like that?" Phineas interrupted. He never knew people could change that fast.

"Yea, just like that." Cullen answered and continued.

"So we drank the same number of beer glasses, but somehow Rose had gotten drunk while I remained sober.  
>Seeing as neither of us could drive since we both had too much beer, I rented out a room at the motel for the night."<p>

"So you both didn't get hurt in the fight?" Phineas stopped the story again.

"I still wonder how we didn't with all those switchblades swiping about." Cullen added. "Anyways, when I got her to the room, she was even more drunk than before. Then I set her gently down on the bed, and that was when she asked me to do it."

"Asked you to do what?" Phineas inquired.

"Asked me to fuck her." Cullen told as if it was obvious. Phineas gawked at what he heard.

"You sure?" Phineas asked, still mouth still gaping wide open.

"If I recall correctly, her words were: 'Cullen Prowl, fuck me.'" Cullen said, tilting his head in thought.  
>"I tried to tell her that we had our reputations and that we were bitter haters and leaders of two of the top 10 biker gangs, but she was very persistent."<p>

"So what did the honorable Cullen Prowl do?" Phineas wondered, even though he'd figured out the answer.

"I fucked her." Cullen simply answered. Phineas was taken back by the expected answer.  
>Cullen finished up his cake slice. "Good cake, eh Phineas?"<p>

"So what happened with you two the next morning?"

"Oh we left the motel and didn't see each other until the fifth and final Gathering."

"So...it was a one night stand?" Phineas labeled it. Cullen was about to bark at Phineas for his question, but then took a moment to think. He reflected on the event, and with realization, he started to laugh. Phineas joined with his laughed briefly, but managed to control himself before Cullen.

"Yea, I guess it was a one night stand." Cullen managed to say as he calmed down. "But unlike an actual one night stand, we met at the fifth and last Gathering."

"Gathering?"

"When all the biker gangs meet up for a week," Cullen explained. "when I arrived there around noon time, my Souls gang was having a vocalized fight with the Rubies, again as usual. I made my way up to the front, and found myself in an open space dividing the two gangs."

"Was Rose there?"

"Yea, she was up front, too. We went up to each other, and then she punched me in the face."

"Why did she do that?" Phineas chuckled.

"She said 'That's for not getting her pregnant'." Cullen said. Phineas snickered.

"Did you use a condom?"

"Nope."

"Then how did you not get her pregnant!" Phineas exclaimed.

"I don't know! Why you asking?"

Phineas just sighed and shook his head with a smile.

"So what ever happen to Rose?" Phineas decided to hear the conclusion.

"After the Hunt, I don't know. Maybe she's alive, maybe she's not." Cullen finished his story.

Phineas felt amused after that story of Cullen's past. He felt the weight of the night start to get to his head.  
>Phineas glanced out the window, and the sun had already set, and a dimly lit neighborhood was revealed beyond the glass.<p>

'Damn it's already dark.' Phineas griped in his head.

Cullen took a long stare at the clock and sighed.

"It's almost 7 o'clock, let's go." Cullen said and got up from his seat.

"Where we going?" Phineas questioned as he, too, rose from the table.

"We are going to a night club, assuming you're going of course."

Phineas thought over it for a moment.

"Alright, I'm in." Phineas said, and followed Cullen out. Once they were outside, Phineas went over to his motorcycle while Cullen locked the door. Cullen seemed to take his time as he walked over to his black Harley Davidson Softail.  
>Once Cullen mounted and started his motorcycle, Phineas and Cullen backed out of the driveway, and drove off, with Cullen leading in front of Phineas.<p>

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

><p>Author's Note: This is only true in the world of FanFiction, not in real life. I'm just saying it now: Biker gangs are run differently than how they are portrayed in this story. Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you want.<p>

Once again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone who reads this! Just a quick notice though, I won't be updating anything else for the rest of the month of December. Why? Consider it my Work Month. That, and I have Mid-Terms. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Feliz Navidad! Hasta la Vista! (wait...what?)  
>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	10. Night Life

Author's note: Happy 2012 everyone! Guess what, we're not dead! In your face Mayan Calendar! Oh wait...it said the world ends on December 23, 2012. Two days before the 25th...really?

* * *

><p><strong>Night Life<strong>

The night had swept over Danville, and stars dazzled in the sky. Or whatever star could dazzle against the intense glow of lights shining from the city of Danville brightening the night.

Streetlights blinked red, yellow, and green as they guided the flow of cars in the street.  
>People of all kinds were walking the sidewalks, either off shopping at the open stores, or heading off to their intended destinations.<br>Shop windows in the buildings were lit up with brilliant white lights to display their cloth items or shopping products.

There was even a group of saxophone players playing for tips with their soothing music, hoping a few coins will be deposited into their dark, open, half filled saxophone case. Cars and trucks filled up about half the street; even at night, the city of Danville still had traffic. The street walkers were too busy with their own conversations and enjoyment to acknowledge to two bikers who were waiting for the green light amongst the traffic of cars.

Phineas looked with serenity at the lights and night activities in Danville. He could vaguely recall another city that felt exactly like this.

'Oh wait...Las Vegas.'

He mounted on top of his silver V-Rod while Cullen was right next to him on his black Harley Davidson Softail. The two were waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the red light to change. Cullen had his Chopper sunglasses resting on his forehead in order to see at night. Phineas idly thought about the club that they were going to.  
>Cullen had told him it was a popular place for nighttimes, but if it was so popular, why hadn't Phineas heard of the place?<p>

Suddenly, the loud scratchy sound of an engine was revving up to the left of Cullen and Phineas. The two looked over to see a guy, a lane over, on top of a black Ducati bike with a tinted helmet revving up his motorcycle, bracing himself for the green light. The sight of him made Phineas think of the stereotypical biker dressed in leather. That was when Phineas realized he was looking at a punk biker.

"Oi!" Cullen shouted to get his attention. The punk biker slowly turned his head and stared at them through the tinted visor from a lane over.

"Could ya not do that? It's rather irritatin'!" Cullen told him. The punk biker just stuck out his leather glove and showed the middle finger to Cullen.

"Somebody hand me a glass bottle!" Cullen demanded as he quickly glanced around for anything to throw at the punk biker.

Before Cullen could find anything however, the light turned green, and the punk biker took off speeding.

"Goddamn it." Cullen sighed as he too rode forward with the rest of the cars. Phineas just smiled and shook his head as they rode down the lighted street. The two continued to ride forward through the traffic until Cullen motioned left. Once they came around the corner and started to drive down Shivo Street, Phineas started to notice them heading out of the center of Danville.

"How's Perry?" Cullen called back over his shoulder. Phineas sought through his head over the memories of his little teal platypus. He had seen Perry lounging around the house once a while. He honestly hasn't seen Perry in awhile.

"I think he's doing fine," Phineas shouted over the two motorcycle engines as he followed behind Cullen's motorcycle, "I don't really see him that much."

* * *

><p>Not much was floating around in Phineas's mind except for focusing on driving. He felt the damp air swish past his face as he rode, and took note of how his surroundings slowly changed.<p>

The bright lights of the city replaced with street lamps surrounded by an eerie glow on top, and the high rising buildings and shops became a variety of two stories and one story buildings.  
>The smooth city road pavement shifted into an old, weathered and grey street with a yellow line down the middle of it.<p>

Phineas also noticed that the dark seemed much darker, and only a few people were out and about, walking in groups.

That was when he realized that they were in the northern suburban part of Danville. Phineas had visited the area a few times in the past.

After a few more turns around left and right corners and Phineas found the number of pedestrians increasing on the sidewalks.  
>He even spotted women dressed in tight short clothing, high heeled boots, exposing most of their stomachs and swaying their hips in the air.<p>

Phineas had a strange feeling about their destination that he still had no idea of. His ears picked up the faint droning booming of a giant boom box of a club nearby.

Phineas slowed down as Cullen slowed down and started to wait for the steady stream of cars to cease on the other side of the road.

"Here we are." Cullen said as he gazed over at the dark rectangular made of bricks. Phineas saw the place, and instantaneously knew where they were.

"Cullen, your idea was to bring me to an Ed's Night Club?" Phineas said as they pulled up their motorcycles into the designated bike lot located in the parking lot.

"You wanted to ride along." Cullen stated as they both cut the ignition and dismounted.

* * *

><p>Ed's Night Clubs were the most known night clubs in Danville.<p>

Edward Gregory II, the laid back but intelligent founder, said he wanted to give people 'a place to party the night away'.

Little did he know that he was going to start the next big night light trend for the years of living. Now there are at least seven Clubs in Danville, the last time Phineas checked.

Ed's Night Clubs were known to be highly packed, exotic parties, and the array of neon lights that flash all over the place on the insides; oh, and the single people of all legal ages. On a several nights, there were showgirls, strippers, and prostitutes loafing around in the Clubs.

* * *

><p>Phineas slipped his key in his pocket and crunched his fingers, trying to wear off the numbness in his fingers. He glanced over at the Ed's Night Club, and saw a huge line of party people waiting under the dim lamp lights hanging above them. The line stretched through the parking lot, and extending along the street sidewalk.<p>

"Great, how do you expect us to get in?" Phineas asked as they started to walk.

"Like this." Cullen said as they approached the back of the building, and with a line in front of them. Phineas watched as Cullen went up to the line of people.

"Excuse me sir." Cullen said, and tried to cut through, but a hand pressed against his chest and stopped him.

"Hey you can't just cut us asshole." the man stated, and Phineas suddenly found just about the entire line yelling at them now.

"No cuttin' you jackass!"

"End of the line!"

"We were here first you dicks!"

Phineas felt frustration boil inside him after every protest towards them.

"I'm just trying to get something in the alley." Cullen said. The man's face showed disgust as he removed his hand off of Cullen.

"Fine asshole." the man snarled and allowed Cullen passage. Cullen scooted through and stumbled out the other side, then Phineas carefully squeezed through and rejoined him in the alleyway.

The stench of moldy rotten garbage reached Phineas's nose, and the thick air of the alley surrounded him like a glove, and they were just at the opening of the dark passage.  
>The boom box beats from inside the Club building were so loud, Phineas could feel the vibrations from the sound waves, even while standing outside. The back alley was littered with debris, big metal dumpsters, and black trash bags, all overflowed with vile refuse and leftovers left there for weeks.<p>

As they shambled through the trash, trying not to step on something, Phineas spotted the dark outline of a door in the brick wall. Once close enough, Cullen pounded his fist on the metal door, which echoed throughout the alleyway, and drawing everyone's attention from the line. Patiently, Phineas waited for something to happen.

Then the door clicked and swung open. Phineas saw a man dressed in the Night Club uniform holding the door open. His attire for his job consisted of black pants, a belt, shoes, a purple collared T shirt, and a pointy party hat of the color of his choice, which was green.  
>The man immediately focused his attention at Cullen.<p>

"Aw fuck, not you again..." the man groaned at Cullen with a New Jersey accent.

"Harris, you ain't so happy to see me?" Cullen greeted with the same tone, and the same accent.

"I'm surprise you still comin 'ere." Harris said with his New Jersey accent. Once again, Phineas was standing with another long-ago friend of Cullen.

"The entrance is on the other side of the building." stated Harris, still holding the door open. Cullen glanced out the alleyway.

"Yeeeaaa...and there's an angry mob comin' at us too." Cullen countered, looking at where the line was just outside the alleyway. Phineas followed his sights, and instantly spotted the rush of people running down the alleyway at them, jumping and rushing through the trash and debris, all trying to get into the Club from the now open backdoor.

"Oh shit." Phineas said and felt his heartbeat rising. Harris growled.

"Fuck...get in!" Harris ordered.  
>Cullen and Phineas immediately jumped through the open back door, which slammed shut right behind them.<br>Phineas craned his head and watched as Harris triple locked the door with locks.  
>A few seconds later, there was the loud metal clanking sounds of people beating their fists on the outside of the metal backdoor.<p>

"That's the last time I'm gonna let you in through the back, idiot." Harris declared, watching the door incase the party goers somehow beat their way through metal and flooded the club.  
>Phineas took a cautiousness step away from the door.<p>

"Now you two get outta my face, go join the party or somethin'." Harris told them and ushered them out of the back room.  
>After stepping through the next room and the kitchen, Phineas was pushed out into the main party room. The boom boxes blared out at maximum volume, playing a variety of rap songs over the surround sound speakers installed everywhere. Bright, intense, colorful lights danced over Phineas's face; luckily, his eyes adjusted to the light quickly. Phineas scanned the crowd for any possible faces he might see, but he only saw the silhouettes of the dancing crowd. For some reason as well, the ceiling lights looked a bit hazy.<p>

"Well, have fun, and come and get me when you want to go." Cullen instructed, and gave a soft pat on shoulder of Phineas's jacket. Phineas opened his mouth and turn to response, but he only saw the brief sight of Cullen slipping through the crowd, and then he lost the view of him completely, thus leaving Phineas on his own.

* * *

><p>Taking a deep breath, Phineas moved his legs, and started to maneuver through the mass of people.<p>

Before he could get too far, a hand grabbed onto his arm.

He spun around to see who exactly was holding on to him, and found a woman under his height dressed in scrawny colorful cloths with highlights in her hair holding onto his hand.

"Come on, let's dance!" she shouted over the music, and yanked Phineas away.

"Whoa!" Phineas yelped as he stumbled forth, the woman dragging him along. When the woman let go of his hand and he regained his balance, he found himself in the middle of a horde of dancers. Hands and fists were flickering everywhere near Phineas's head, a few almost smacking him in the face. The vivid lights flashed everywhere, and the techno pop music was blasting in Phineas's eardrums. Somehow, he managed to see forward, and saw the woman who dragged him into this. She had her hands in the air, and was swinging her hips back and forth to the beat of the music.

Phineas wanted to make his way out of the dancing crowd, but he thought he should at least tell her.

"Nice moves, but I gotta go!" Phineas complimented and told her. Due to the acute and deafening music, his words fell upon disordered ears and were scrambled up in the woman's mind.

"They're real, too!" she shouted back, and started to involve more of her body in her swaying. Phineas was confused at what she meant, but got the idea when she started to dance closer to him, her highly exposed cleavage bouncing all around and very close to Phineas on purpose.

His eyes couldn't help but stare at her cleavage as it waved around near his chest. He also felt his heart pounding inside his chest, and found it harder to think. To make matters worse, the chick started to dance closer to him, her body barely touching his. Phineas took a light step back.

"I'll...be at the bar." Phineas told himself as he pried his curious eyes off the woman's chest, since he could hear his own voice, or at least he thought he could. Carefully, he made his way through the crowd, trying to see which direction was the bar. For relief to Phineas's ears, the music finished and stopped playing, but then the place was filled with the booing of the dancers.

"Alright everyone, it's eleven o' clock!" the DJ's voice exploded on the speakers.  
>All around him, Phineas watched as the girls panicked and ran off to the sides, while the guys all erupted in cheers. He was confused at what exactly happened at eleven, and was about to find out.<p>

"Mosh Pit!" the DJ bellowed, and a new track was played. It was the heavy sound of drums and gnarling sound of an electric guitar.

"Oh shit." Phineas muttered as the guys all around him roared to life at the top of their lungs. He tried to dash out before the moshing began, but it was too late. Phineas was swept down by a force of men and thrown to the ground, legs and pants running and jumping everywhere.  
>He tried to get up off the ground using his hand on the floor for support, but a shoe stepped on his fingers, causing his hand to recoil from the pain, and without any to prop up against, the red headed boy was knocked over, gripping his other hand in pain. As he laid on the ground, shoes and boots of the moshers were trampling everywhere, kicking and stomping on the fallen Phineas.<p>

Using the strength in his abdomen muscles, and ignoring the booting and pain in his sides, he lunged and brought himself up. He started to push himself off the ground with his non-injured hand, then a pair of legs bumped into his side, causing the man to fall back and flip over Phineas's back.  
>Once he was up, he glanced down to see what had happened to the man that tripped over him. The guy was sprawled out on the floor.<br>He thought he should probably help the man up, but before he could decide, two men collided on his left side, and shoved him into the many sturdy moshing men.

Phineas's body did his best to avoid being knocked down again while his eyes darted everywhere, trying to see over the frenzy of fists in the air. Then, his eyes caught a glimpse of what looked like a bar counter top.

"Mosh Pit!" he heard Cullen's voice somewhere behind him roar above the shouts and heavy metal. Phineas quickly spun around to find the source of Cullen's voice.  
>Before he could locate him, however, a fist, not Cullen's, flashed out and smashed into the tip of Phineas's nose.<br>There was a flare of hot, tedious pain on his nose as he staggered in place, almost getting knocked down again. The music blared everywhere, and the men were moshing all around him.

With determination, will, and a hand over his nose, Phineas imprecisely turned around towards the direction of the bar, and wobbled his way through the Mosh Pit, bumping his way past the oncoming impacts of men colliding with him from all directions. After was seemed like a mile, could vaguely see the outer perimeter of the mosh pit. With a high effort of strength mixed with obliviousness, Phineas broke out of the mosh perimeter, and stumbled forward to what looked like a vacant pink table.

* * *

><p>Phineas landed his covered forearms on the table with his head hung down. He mentally willed the pain in his nose to subside as his ears were still filled with the heavy metal music from the speakers. Due to Phineas's oblivious trait, he had no idea what he was leaning on a circular pink platform, and there was a girl looking at him on his level, laying down on her stomach.<p>

"Hey, are you ok?" she asked him.  
>Phineas raised his head, and his eyes caught the sight of full cleavage, and a pretty face of a burnet hair showgirl. Once again, Phineas forced his eyes to remain on the girl's face, and not anything below.<p>

"Yeah, I'm fine ma'am." Phineas replied.

"Looks like you have a little boo boo," the showgirl said, and pointed at his bleeding nose with a smile, "want me to kiss it?"

"No thanks." Phineas said, keeping the thought of Isabella in a secure place in his mind. The showgirl pouted.

"I'll do it for free." she offered and smiled a cute smile.

"Nah, I'm good miss uh..." Phineas said, trying to guess her name.

"Call me Lexy." she said as she pushed herself up and resumed her routine of dancing around and on the pole in the middle of the pink circle platform with her fluent and seeming effortless sways.

Phineas now saw that she only wore high heeled boots and a thin black corset with her slender body.

Phineas smiled to himself; he was able to remember what a corset was.

Phineas glanced around the platform and at the other platforms of pole dancers usually packed with men, but he only saw a few men standing at each pole dancing platform.  
>He glanced around out of confusion; this wasn't the bar, this was the showgirl section.<p>

"Where did the guys go?" Phineas wondered.

Lexy swung herself down, and held onto the pole with her legs and a hand.

"The Mosh Pit." Lexy said and nodded in the direction behind Phineas. Phineas craned his head back and saw the continuing chaos of the Mosh Pit.

"Oh, how long does that last?" Phineas asked.

"About ten minutes," Lexy told as she swung herself around the pole with a smile, "you sure you don't want me to do anything for you? You look so cute that I'm gonna give you a discount."  
>Phineas felt himself grin, but he firmly held his ground.<p>

"Sorry, but I have a girlfriend." Phineas told her. In a few slow steps, she elegantly danced her way down to the edge Phineas was leaning on, and laid on the platform on her back, her curvy breasts sticking up in the air, and her head under Phineas. Phineas glanced down at Lexy's head looking up at him.

"Then what are you doing at Ed's Night Club?" she asked with a laugh.

"My friend dragged me to come along." Phineas explained. Lexy smiled and pulled herself up. She continued to dance on her pole, while Phineas was reluctantly watching, but only for a few seconds. Deep inside, Phineas felt an ache in his heart, and decided to travel to his intended destination in the Club.

"Lexy, do you know where the bar is?" Phineas asked. Lexy was facing Phineas with her back to the pole. She pointed with the tip of her boot, also stretching out her slender leg.

"It's that way, on the other side of the Mosh Pit." she said. Phineas stared back at the riot of moshers moshing around.

"Fuck..." Phineas cursed under his breath. He then turned back to Lexy, who lowered her leg down.

"Thanks Lexy." Phineas said, and left the showgirl's platform, feeling relieved.

"Come see me anytime!" Lexy called out as he tried to figure out how to get around the Mosh Pit without having to go through it again. Strategically, Phineas managed to walk around the outskirts of the Mosh Pit, where most of the party girls waited for the mosh pit to be over.

"He really is a cutie," Lexy said to herself as she watched him go, "especially with that nose."

* * *

><p>(...,,,...,,,)<p>

Just as Phineas began to struggle around the Mosh Pit, the heavy metal beats ended, and the Mosh Pit dispersed, leaving the men who were knocked down on the dance floor, struggling to get up. Phineas glanced at the stragglers to find the man who had tripped backwards over him. After a second time of searching, Phineas couldn't find that specific man as one of those who were left on the floor.

"Everybody, the Mosh Pit has ended!" the DJ boomed over the speakers. Everyone around Phineas cheered, and Phineas could only smile. Their cheers and woots were then drowned out by the pop music. The dance floor was then flooded on all sides by men and women, their bodies starving to boogie.

Phineas continued to made his way through the populated sides of the room, trying to avoid being dragged into a dance with a random girl he didn't know.

As he moved his way around people, his nose picked up with arousal scent of some sort of perfume. Exhaling through his nostrils to supposedly snort the fumes out, he continued on his way. Relief came to his mind and heart once he finally caught sight of the drinking bar that had been evading him all night.

Then, he felt two hands grab and start to pull on his arm; pulling away from the bar.

'Hell no!' Phineas's mind shouted as he tried to slip his arm out of the stranger's grasp. However, another pair of hands grabbed a hold of the same arm, and with the combined strength of four hands, Phineas felt himself lurch back.  
>Desperately, he stretched out his other arm towards the bar, as if some magical force would allow him to grasp the counter. Instead, he stumbled backwards as the four hands dragged him through the dancing crowd. Phineas turned his head to see the people leading him, but his eyes were suddenly flared with the neon light rays flashing everywhere.<p>

In between each flash of light, he caught brief and vague glimpses of everyone dancing around him.  
>Phineas's face was hit by the number of flailing limbs all around, and he instinctively shut his eyes from both the painfully bright lights and the risk of having his eyes poked out.<p>

In a few seconds, he felt himself emerge from the pack of bodies, and still being pulled forward. He tried to open his eyes, but only caught the sight of foggy figures. Phineas managed to vaguely see who was pulling him: a girl with long blond highlighted hair, and a girl with short dark hair.  
>Trying to get rid of all the haziness in his eyes, Phineas reached up and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. It was then his mind pieced together what was happening with the two girls.<p>

'Oh not again...'

"Whoa!" Phineas yelped as he felt himself flung forward. Frantically, he brought his arms forward, and suddenly felt the solid surface of a wall.  
>His torso was pushed, and he was sent flying towards the ground, or he would have if a soft velvet cushioned couch hadn't been there to catch him.<br>There was a shutting noise, and the blaring music became muffled. Phineas could smell the intoxicating scent of that erotic perfume.  
>He also heard giggles in front of him.<p>

Finally, Phineas opened his eyes, and could clearly see three girls in front of him, the blond, the one with black hair, and another girl with brown hair down to her shoulders.  
>All of them had a seductive smile on their lips, and Phineas felt remotely out of place in this little booth.<p>

'Wait...booth...private booth...oh shit.' his mind instantly thought.

Ed's Night Clubs also featured private sound sealed booths for private businesses, but Phineas knew what usually went on inside the occupied booths.

"Wow, you're really a cutie," said the blond as she got up and plopped herself down next to him on the right and raked her fingers through his red hair; she also squeezed his bicep, "and a buff guy, too!"

"Thanks," Phineas said and tried to get up, "but I really-"

"You must've been bored all night, you wanna have some fun?" the brown haired girl cooed and sat down on the left side of Phineas, pinning him down. She slipped his arm around her, and started to rub her hand on his chest. Either the room had a built in heater, or Phineas himself was getting hot.

"I th-think i-it would b-be better if-" Phineas stammered. He knew he had to escape, but the two extremely attractive girls were causing his desires to skyrocket. To make matters worse, the dark haired girl swayed herself over and carefully straddled over Phineas's body, her chest all up in his face.

"How about we skip the talk, and get straight to fucking?" the girl over him whispered into his ear, and started grinding her short shorts over Phineas's abdomen.

Phineas's body was rapidly falling into their seduction as the girls touched and rubbed against his hair, chest, and torso. Despite the lustful temptation, his mind was screaming for him to get the hell out of there, and Phineas was trying to gain control of his body and will to do exactly that.  
>To try and block them out of his mind so he could concentrate, he shut his eyes.<p>

The three girls started to moan from their arousal as they touched all over Phineas's body.  
>Phineas then felt a hand unfasten his belt and slide into his pants, and felt the tips of her nails past over his waist, heading for his manhood.<p>

Out of sheer luck and strong will, Phineas gained full control of himself the very instant he felt the girl's brisk touch on his waist.

Phineas used his strength in his legs and arms to propel himself upward, escaping the seductive clutches of the blond and brown haired girls. The dark haired girl moaned out of surprise as Phineas stood up; she had wrapped her legs around his waist, and was clinging onto Phineas's neck.

"Get off!" Phineas ordered, but didn't wait for her to comply. Instead, as soon as the words left his mouth, his hands reached up and grabbed her ribs, which also cupped underneath the girl's breasts. With a heave, he shoved her off of him, and immediately reached for the doorknob. Phineas felt a pair of hands grab at his other arm, but he was determined to get out.  
>With a quick twist of his wrist and a push, Phineas opened the door, and was greeted by the flaring lights, the odor of detained air, and blasting music.<br>Still feeling the hands clamping onto his arm, he used his muscle to yank his arm out of the private booth.

_WHUMP!_

He heard the sound, followed by a sharp cry, but he didn't dare to look back. Free of the room and hastily trying to belt his belt back on, Phineas ran forward towards the wall of dancers. He couldn't hear the calls of the three girls behind him, nor did he bother, he just wanted to get as far away from them as possible. As he fumbled to put his belt back on, his back was pushing his way through the crowd. When Phineas managed to buckle his belt on again, he found himself surrounded by dancing girls and men. Once again, Phineas tried to stick his head over the frenzy of hands swinging around in the air.

Out of the corner of his eye on his left side, he spotted only a brief glimpse, but he was sure he knew the direction.  
>Phineas lurched to the left side, and started to push his way through over to the bar once again. He pushed and shoved his way through the body masses of people, doing anything to get to the bar. Phineas did his best to mentally dim out the music and the party shouts all around him, making his journey to the bar a formless task fueled by Phineas's strength of mind.<p>

* * *

><p>Finally, after breaching the final wall of dancers, Phineas stumbled out of the crowd, and walked over to the bar's half occupied stone counter.<br>Dimly, he sat down on a bar stool, and brought up his shoulders on the counter, resting his forehead in his hands.  
>Phineas felt a strong sense of accomplishment and relieve for finally making it to the bar.<br>Phineas's burst of will slowly burned out, allowing his ears to retain all the sounds and activity happening all around him.

"Eh buddy, you ok?" asked a familiar New Jersey accented male. Phineas slowly raised his hand up, and found Harris looking straight at him, wiping a beer glass with a white rag.

"I've been better." Phineas groaned as he watched Harris fill up the dried beer glass with Bud Light and hand it over to the guy beside Phineas.

"Fuck that man, I know you, you've been through worse than that." Harris said as he filled up another glass. "Hey, you and your buddy still gonna drive those motorcycles?"

"Yeah." Phineas answered.

"Well you and Cullen better get goin', suppose to be raining soon." Harris informed as he grabbed an empty beer glass and offered it to Phineas, "You want somethin'?"

"Yeah, something with no alcohol." Phineas requested, and Harris complied.

"Ah, makin' the right descisions, eh? I like you kid," Harris said as he searched for something for Phineas to drink, "not in no homo way or anythin' like that, but like...in a sorta respect sorta way...you know what I'm sayin'?"

"Yeah, I get ya." Phineas told him. He felt the urge to tell him to shut up and serve him already, but he quickly discarded it. After all, Harris was serving him a drink, and he was also a friend of Cullen.  
>Harris placed a glass of clear liquid and ice in front of Phineas.<p>

"Is this water?" Phineas asked as he picked up the glass and examined the drink.

"Hey, you wanted somethin' with 'no alcohol'. That there's the only thing we got!" Harris told.

"No sodas?"

"We ain't got no soda, aright?" Harris said. "Now take care of your self, I got customers."  
>Harris moved down to the far side of the bar counter to serve the drinkers there.<p>

This entire time, Phineas went through a mosh pit, given a bloody nose, and was almost raped by girls, for a beer glass full of ice water?

'No alcohol since they we're driving motorcycles...and no sodas...damn.' he thought.

Phineas just shrugged and drank down his glass of water. The water was unexpectedly refreshing, and it temporarily made him forget all the troubles he went through tonight.

That was until he had drank all of the water in the glass, and the ice cubes slid down and bumped into his upper lip.

Phineas put the ice glass back on the wooden coaster, and took a moment to breath. Even though the air inside was intoxicated with the musty, perfume, alcohol, and burning cigarettes mostly from the men and women at the bar counter, the air was less dense and fogged up around Phineas's face.

Taking out his cell phone to check the time, Phineas discovered that it was 12:30 A.M., literally the next day.

Deciding that he should go fetch Cullen, Phineas slipped out of his bar stool, and his boots hit the ground.

_WHACK!_

Phineas felt something boney and solid strike across his face, leaving a solid hot aching impression on his cheek bone, and instantly covered his cheek in order to somehow ease away the searing sting.  
>His brain cringed at the sharp pain that flared from his cheek bone.<p>

"What the fuck!" Phineas yelled as he rubbed his cheek.  
>He looked to see his attacker, and found a man with a trench coat in front of him, looking at his face very closely.<br>The man's knees were wobbly, and Phineas could smell the heavy amounts of alcohol in his breaths. Phineas pieced it together as his teeth snarled and he mentally willed the pain; the man was drunk. Phineas also noted that everyone at the bar had turned their seats and heads and were all looking at the two.

"Hollld stiiilllll kid," the drunkard garbled, "I'm tryin' to fix that triangulllur head of yourrs."

The drunkard blankly stared at Phineas, who brushed himself off and gripped his fists.

"Looks like I have to hit it again." the drunkard slurred, and drew his fist back to punch Phineas again.  
>Phineas threw his fist forward, and felt his knuckles slam against the man's jaw with a loud smack. The drunkard stumbled backwards and started to fall back.<br>As he fell, his head bumped into the stainless steel footrest ring on a bar stool. Phineas glanced down at the drunken man that laid sprawled on the ground.

Choosing not to bother with him any more, Phineas walked off, trying to find Cullen amongst the crowd.  
>Behind him, however, several people who wanted to see a fight quickly dragged the drunkard to his feet, and instructed him where Phineas was.<p>

"I'mmm comin' triangle head!" the drunken man exclaimed and charged.

Phineas turned his head around, but he only saw a huge dark mass descend upon him. The drunkard landed on his back, clamping to his neck and head, digging his nails into Phineas's scalp.

"Get off me!" Phineas shouted as he tried to swerve side to side in an attempt to toss the man off of him. The flashing lights and the blasting techno music did nothing to help him in this situation.

"We gotta fix you broken head kid!" the drunkard shouted in Phineas's ear.

Grabbing a hold of the man's forearms, Phineas diverted his strength to his legs, and he lunged towards his left. The two of them crashed into a wall of dancing people, who also fell with them. As the men and women yelped and gasped out from suddenly being knocked over, Phineas felt the drunkard's hands and arms loosen enough for him to wiggle free.  
>After they landed on top of everyone else that they knocked down, Phineas managed to get himself up without stepping on anyone.<br>When he stood, he examined the huge dog pile of people, and all of them were trying to get up, but were stumbling over anyone who wasn't quite up yet.

Returning to his task, Phineas's eyes scanned the spots where the lights were flashing, hoping to get a glimpse of Cullen.

There!

For a brief second, Phineas saw the back of Cullen's head and jacket bathed in blue light before the blue spotlight flashed away. Once again, Phineas pressed his way through the crowd, trying to reach Cullen. He was hoping that he wouldn't wind up in another place in the Club, again.

As he moved through the crowd, he came across one person who wouldn't move, so he made his way around him. Or Phineas would have if the man didn't grab onto his shoulder.  
>Phineas whirled around to see who was grabbing him, and found Cullen looking straight at him.<p>

'Oh..." Phineas muttered mentally. Cullen motioned Phineas to lower his head, and as he did, Cullen did as well. Now the two were ducking down in the middle of the dancing.

"How's the night?" Phineas fairly heard Cullen's voice ask. "How'd you get that bruised cheek?"

"A fight I won." Phineas simply answered.

"And the night?"

"Good, but listen, we gotta go; it's gonna rain outside and it's gettin' late." Phineas explained.  
>Knowing Cullen, he would have probably dismiss his plan and continue to party. For some reason though, Phineas saw Cullen smile and nod.<p>

"Ok then, follow me." Cullen instructed. Without warning, he grabbed Phineas's shirt collar, and started to haul him off.  
>Phineas was first thrown off his balance, but he quickly regained it and walked behind Cullen, with Cullen still grasping his shirt collar.<p>

Once again, the lights were obscuring his vision, and his ears ached from the vibrant music that was now turned up higher.  
>Phineas just followed in the direction where Cullen was tugging on his collar, trying not to get separated by the crowd, which was now grinding on each other.<br>A few girls tried to grind on Phineas, but he moved around them and kept going.

Before he knew it, he was out of the crowd and near the bar again. Cullen released Phineas's collar, which now was stretched and loosen. Phineas tried to fix it, but then looked ahead and saw Cullen almost at the bar, leaving him behind. Quickly, he ran over to Cullen, who was now inside of the bar.

Phineas saw Cullen call something out and wave. He turned to wear he was waving, and saw Harris flicking him off and shouting something.  
>For some reason, he couldn't hear anything from the amped up music.<p>

When they passed through the kitchen and exited into the back room, Phineas felt his ears relieved, and sound come back to him. The first sound he heard was the sound of their footsteps. Then they reached the back door that was still sealed. Phineas watched as Cullen threw aside the metal bar from the door and turned the handle.

The door opened to the back alleyway, and Phineas was blasted with cold wind, water, and the rolling thunder booms.

* * *

><p>"Shit." Phineas muttered as he reluctantly followed Cullen outside and stepped into the rain. Immediately, he was greeted with the familiar odor of trash, concrete, and fresh wet air, which was a relief to the stuffy air inside. Tiredly, Phineas leaned against a garbage disposal to catch his breath and clear his head.<p>

"This was fun, don't you think?" Cullen asked as they stood in the light rain.

"Yeah, yeah it was." Phineas sighed. He glanced over at Cullen, who was gazing up into the sky. Phineas looked above, and ignoring the rain drops hitting his eyelashes, saw the pitch black clouded sky.  
>A fork of lighting ripped through the sky, illuminating everything below.<p>

Phineas glanced down the alleyway's entrance to where the huge line was. The huge line waiting outside for entry earlier was now gone; probably left when the rain started to pour.

"Were you in the mosh pit?" Cullen asked, focusing his head on Phineas now. Phineas got up from leaning on the garbage disposal.

"Sorta." Phineas admitted.

"Nothing like a good mosh pit, right?" Cullen admitted.

"I guess if you like moshing." Phineas imputed his opinion, not really a mosher himself. Cullen gave him a surprised look with a smile.

"_I_ like moshing!" Cullen interjected.

"I know you do." Phineas told him with a smile.  
>The rain was starting to make Phineas's long red hair droop down over his face; so he swished his head to the side, getting the wet red hair out of his face. Cullen rubbed the water through his hair.<br>There was another flash of lighting, followed by the explosion of thunder above.

"Let's go home." Phineas said and was about to take a step, but Cullen's forearm slugged him across the chest, stopping him.

"Shhh..." Cullen instructed, and Phineas complied. He listened carefully, and could only hear the vibrating beats inside the club, the rain drops striking the ground, and...footsteps?

He listened again.

Those were defanitly footsteps, and neither he nor Cullen was moving. They both watched down the alleyway, looking to the open street quite a few meters of walking distance.

Out of the shadows, a man quickly erupted from blending in the dark. Phineas saw a small shimmer of metal pointed at them. That was when Phineas figured out in an instant.

Dark alley...man holding something metal blocking their exit.

Phineas suddenly realized what that metal was: a gun. Phineas's entire body spiked in shock at the sight of the man getting closer to them at a fast pace.

Before Phineas could do anything, Cullen pushed him back with his hand, and took a step towards the man with a gun.

"Hey...do I know you?" Cullen asked.

"On your knees, now!" the man ordered in a harsh voice. Phineas thought Cullen would do as the man said. Unfortunately, he didn't.

"Oh, so you think you can do whatever you want because you have a gun?" Cullen inquired.

"I said get down, now!" the man ordered, and waved the pistol around. Phineas could tell it was an M9 pistol from the shape of the weapon.

"What's the point of this?" Cullen wondered, raising his arms up to his waist in emphases, "If you shoot us, you will be wanted for robbery _and_ killing, so why don't you just put the gun away, and we can all continue with our lives?"

"S-shut up!" the man ordered. Phineas felt a sense of hope as he figured out Cullen's plan to talk their way out of this.

"Look dude, if you wanna live-" Cullen started to say.

"I said shut up! I'm warning you!" the man advised, his words sounding a bit shakier. He gripped the pistol with two hands and aimed at Cullen.

Phineas held his breath and hoped that things wouldn't break out into chaos.  
>There was a scary silence in the alleyway, only interrupted by rain drops.<br>There in the alleyway stood three men: one with a gun pointed at Cullen, Cullen, and a very tensed Phineas.

"Look," Cullen told him, bringing his hands up to his head, "how about we-"

There was a gunshot.

Phineas saw the flash of light in front of the M9, joined in with the sound of solid thud mixed in with his ears ringing from the gunshot. Cullen yelped, and Phineas watched in horror as he fell to his knees.

"Cullen!" Phineas yelled, and tried to rush to catch the falling and shot Cullen, but the man shifted his aim directly at Phineas.

"Don't move, or I'll shoot you, too!" the man warned. Phineas immediately froze up, the fear of being shot filling his entire body.

In hopeless dismay, Phineas watched as Cullen slowly fell forward off his knees, and his body landed in a puddle.  
>Phineas felt queasy and rage as he saw Cullen's blood slowly fill up in the puddle.<br>Lighting flashed and thunder boomed overhead.

"How could you!" Phineas raged. The man just came closer, making Phineas having to take a few steps back.

"I warned him to shut up! Now get down on your knees!" the man shouted.

Phineas glanced at the unmoving body of Cullen's, hopeful that the bullet pierced a minor part of the body. Cullen's body didn't stir, and more blood spilled out into the puddle.

At first, Phineas thought if he timed his movements correctly, he could possibly dodge the gunshot, but the thought of a fully loaded clip made him think twice. Seeing Cullen's body only made him want to run up to the man and kill him, but the barrel of the M9 pistol make him stay put. That also erased the idea of running back through the Club backdoor and getting someone inside to help him out.

"I said get down on your knees!" the man shouted again and took several steps forward, walking over Cullen's bleeding out body.  
>Phineas took the equal number of steps backwards. Phineas's heart pounded inside of his chest.<br>He was loosing hope too fast.  
>He tried to bring back hope, but the sight of the M9 aiming at him, and nowhere else to run diminished his fragile optimism.<br>Phineas only felt helpless dread.

Phineas's mind instantly thought about everyone. Isabella, Ferb, his parents, Django, Buford, Baljeet, the former Fireside Girls, his family and friends...he wondered what they would do when he was gone.

Those thoughts of their dismay and despairs made his heart ache even more.  
>To make things even worse, he though about Isabella...how she was going to loose him after they got back together. She would be loosing him forever.<br>Tears started to stream down Phineas's face and tightened jaw.

"I'm warning you!" the man shouted again, and took a few more steps closer.

Phineas took a step backwards, but his back pressed up against the brick wall end of the alleyway; he was cornered.

Tears were rushing out of Phineas's eyes as he saw the man aim the M9 at him. Rain poured down from the black sky, and pelted against Phineas's soaked face and clothings.

He thought for an instant that maybe he should do as the man says, but if he did, he would never be able to live with himself for his cowardice, as Phineas saw it.

When the man took a final step closer, stopped and aimed, Phineas's felt his body spike up.

He was going to die.

There was a gunshot, a yelp, and blood was spilled.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

><p>Author's note: Happy New Year everybody! Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, cause it took me awhile to complete it. I express y'all gratitude for reading, and if you decide to review, special thankfulness for reviewing. (since when did I start using fancy words?)<p>

Oh, and for those who know the author 'Hero of the Dark', or as I call her in my Backstage series: 'T.S.', she has left FanFiction...permanently. Why? She has to concentrate on her own original novel, which requires most of a person's time. If she is reading this right now, I would like her to know that we will miss you T.S., and good luck with your novel.


	11. One Life

**Author's Note: I really wonder how many people actually read this story...Does it matter? Not really. How'd y'all like the last chapter? If you liked the last chapter...I think some readers will find either a relief or disappointment.**

* * *

><p><strong>One Life<strong>

**P.O.V**

The world around me spun like a twister. My head rang with cold, throbbing pain, but that was only minor compared to the searing, stabbed feeling I felt right in the middle of me.

I thought I was dead, but the heartbeat faintly pounding in my head told me otherwise.

When I figured I was still alive, all my senses slowly returned to me. I felt water pouring down my face and seeping across my lips. I heard the brilliant earsplitting sound of thunder erupt from above.  
>As my sense of reality returned, the pain in my chest area intensified from stinging to agonizing. I tried to move my hands to hold my injury, but my hands were to stiff to move.<br>I wanted to cry out in pain, or at least call out for help, but my mind was against it, and so was my voice box.

I heard the thudding of footsteps in my left ear, which was pressed against the cold and wet ground I was laying on. It was then I decided to open my shut eyes.

For what seemed like forever, I stared blankly at a couple of black bags and a huge silver can.  
>Vaguely, my mind registers these objects as trash bags and a trash can.<br>There was also something else beneath me, a puddle of red liquid slowly getting bigger.  
>I tried to stick my tongue out to taste it, but somehow there was excruciating pain extended to my tongue as I tried.<p>

Suddenly, a shoe stepped in front of me, and then went up. Obviously, the character was walking past me.

My mind mentally raged between just laying there to deal with the pain, or to look and see who the person was.

Choosing the better, I slowly dragged my right hand on the concrete ground and through the sticky puddle, and pushed myself up.

Instantly, my muscles screamed for me to stop, but my hand and arm were able to slightly turn my right upper part of my body around to see.

There I saw with a slanted view the back of a man, slowly advancing down an alleyway, pointing something.  
>I glanced down the alleyway, and saw a soaked Phineas with a petrified and alert expression plastered on his face, slowly about to back up into the dead end wall.<p>

'Phineas...alleyway...the shooter!' my mind snapped and it felt as if the pain stung everywhere. My mind also figured out the reason of my pain: I was shot.  
>Then I remembered where I was: in the alleyway behind Ed's Night Club.<p>

'No think...act...it's time.' the words flashed in my brain.

* * *

><p><strong>({}.{})<strong>

Cullen dragged his left hand across the soaked and grimy ground and pushed himself up with both hands. As his upper half rose, his left hand gave away. Before he could fall back down, he moved his arm, and landed hard on his left elbow.

Ignoring the painful wound as he blindly reached for the inside pocket of his leather jacket with his left hand.

His fingers brushed past the watery leather outside, and reached into the warm yet soaked inside of the jacket and to the inner pocket. Sticking his hand in further, and his fingers wrapped around the wooden grip frame. Mustering enough strength, he pushed the ground with his right arm, and propped himself on his left side. The gunshot wound continued to sear throughout his body, but he managed to pull out what he wanted on his left side.

In Cullen's left hand was a single action Colt 45 revolver.

With his head already lowed to the ground, his painfully aimed down the revolver at the shooter's back and his thumb stretched over the safety and pulled it down. The shooter was now standing a few meters away from the cornered and frantic Phineas.

"Hell...no..." Cullen quietly snarled as his left index finger pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p><strong>({}.O)<strong>

Phineas felt his body jolt as he heard the gunshot and the yelp. He saw blood spew from out of the shooter's mouth, and his eyes went wide. It was a loud and agonizing yelp of pain, but it faded away quickly in the alleyway. Phineas saw a thick and crimson red spot brewing in the center of the shooter's drenched T-shirt.

Five more shots were fired, each with a click in between them. The man's body shook violently as the bullets pierced his body, blood splashing on the inside of his soaked cloths.

Phineas blankly watched as the man opened his mouth to say something, but then his eyes rolled back, his legs collapsed, and he toppled over into a pile of trash bags. With a clank, the shooter slumped into the black trash bags, rain pelting against him, and blood quickly staining the trash. Phineas tried to move, but he found his eyes drawn to the lifeless body and the new puddle of blood.

Phineas closed his eyes tight and allowed himself to breath. He was alive.

Then there was the horrible sound of ragged coughing. His eyes opened and darted to Cullen, and he immediately saw the blood pond that Cullen now lay in.

Phineas ran forward. As he ran, he passed by the M9 that the man dropped, there was the slight desire to pick it up, but he diminished the thought as he reached the bleeding out Cullen.  
>The empty revolver slipped out of Cullen's fingers and settled on the wet puddle of blood.<p>

"Cullen!" Phineas cried out in panic as he put his hand behind Cullen's ruined leather jacket and helped him lean up.

"Phineas...are you...dead?" Cullen's hoarse voice wondered as Cullen stared at the ground.

"No Cullen, I'm not." Phineas answered quickly. His body was feeling the adrenaline wear off.  
>Phineas glanced at Cullen's shirt, which was stained and oozing out red blood.<br>The sight and sickening smell made his stomach churn inside.

"Good...good..." Cullen softly chuckled as he leaned his head on Phineas's shirt. Once he did, he started coughing up blood.

"No come on Cullen! Hang in there!" Phineas shouted in the rain as he felt Cullen's body starting to get heavier. With his other hand, he pulled out his cell phone and with his thumb dialed 911.

"Come on Cullen, don't die on me!" Phineas growled to Cullen as he held the cell phone to his ear. Phineas's words, however, fell upon the empty ears of the motionless Cullen.

* * *

><p><strong>SEVERAL MINUTES LATER...<strong>

The Ed's Night Club was just about abandoned due to the fact that two police cars and a fire truck were parked along side the red fire truck zone on the edge of the sidewalk.  
>The rain had died down, but the clouds still swirled in the sky.<br>Blue and red lights flashed everywhere alongside the brick party building, and the area was cut off by yellow tape.  
>Police officers were already investigating in the closed off section of the block, and questioning the employees and any remaining witnesses.<p>

Bystanders were gathering around out of curiosity to find out what exactly was going on.  
>Amongst the ears of the spectators, rumors being passed around like wildfire. Bits of rumors and gossips could be heard stirring.<p>

'...the place was finally busted with drugs...you should've seen the mob boss they caught...punk bikers were having a shootout...someone called foul...some idiot blew the fire alarm...attempted robbery...a shootout between cops and robbers...I heard five people died...the Mafia came and razed the inside of the club...there was a huge riot...undercover CIA operation...psychopath with a gun raped and shot a whore...it was a duel...some ginger shot five men...a guy's skull was beaten into a triangle...they found cocaine...a bunch of assholes raped a bitch..."

Just about all of these rumors were false. Just down the street, an ambulance blared its sirens as it approached the scene.  
>When it made its way into the closed off parking lot next to two motorcycles, its back doors opened, and paramedics rushed out onto the scene with white and wheeled gurneys.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the police officers were questions the employees, who all couldn't give a straight answer, because they had no idea what was happening. However, one red haired, triangle skull boy knew what happened.<p>

"I swear that's what happened." Phineas Flynn finished telling the two police officers as he watched the paramedics rush into the alleyway. He wanted to run after them to see what they were going to do to Cullen, but he knew very well that the two policemen questioning him would stop him before he could do anything.

"Phineas Flynn...am I right?" the first police officer asked. Phineas nodded his head. "You and your friend were just leaving the club through the back, and the shooter jumped out and shot your pal, and before he could shoot you, your shot friend gunned him down?"

Phineas couldn't tell if the police were just going along with what he told them, or if they were actually believing it.

"Yes, that's exactly what happened officer." Phineas told them.

"We need a bodybag over here!" a paramedic called out from the alleyway. Phineas immediately had the thought that Cullen had died, but then he remembered how many times the shooter was shot. The second cop took notice of Phineas's concern.

"Don't worry kid, he'll be fine," the second cop assured, "now how exactly did you buddy sneak in a gun into the club?"

"We used the back door to get in." Phineas explained openly. The first officer just nodded his head.

"Alright kid, we might have to take you in for questioning in the future, so you mind giving us your number?"

As Phineas gave the police his cell phone number, his eyes spotted the paramedics wheeling the two gurneys back to the ambulance. One gurney had a black zipped up body bag, while the second one held Cullen with an oxygen mask over his face. His arms and cloths were covered in his own blood, and his leather jacket was gone.

"Ok kid, you're free to go." the police officer said. Phineas felt a ting of annoyance about how he was referred to as a 'kid' when he was a few months over 18.

Immediately, Phineas ran over to his motorcycle and fumbled for his key. As he started up the motorcycle, the ambulance's back doors closed. The two vehicles literally started to move at the same time.

There was the nagging question in Phineas's mind if he should've done something about Cullen's motorcycle, but he was too focused on trailing behind the blaring ambulance to decide if he should go back or not.

'Come on Cullen." his mind snarled as he followed the ambulance on its way to the Danville Hospital.

* * *

><p><strong>(_O.O_)<strong>

**Danville Hospital**

**1:43 A.M.**

**Emergency Room Waiting Lounge**

The air was cold, the buzzing, florescent lights above were bright white, and Phineas was staring anxiously at the patterned tile floor. His eyes tried to stay focused on the white tiles instead of the red, but every time he saw a trace of the crimson color, Phineas's mind instantly thought of blood; and the thought of blood led to him recollecting on how he ended up here.

Phineas leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees, and he idly twiddled his thumbs together.

After he had arrived at the hospital, he had to call a person he had not spoken too in a long time. He had to, because nobody could spread news out better than he could. Phineas had called Irving and told him what happened. Still being his loyal self, Irving declared that he would tell everyone who needed to be told and hung up. That was about...five minutes ago.

Craning his head to his left, his left eye caught a glimpse at the ticking clock. It had been 20 minutes since Cullen was rushed into the Emergency Room.

Just then, the door swung open. Phineas flashed his head towards the direction of the door leading to the Emergency Room, and saw a doctor with a clipboard walking towards him.

Immediately, he stood up and faced the doctor.

"Are you here for the patient?" the doctor asked, looking at him through his eyeglasses.

"Yes." Phineas quickly answered. Was the operation already done that fast? It seemed unreasonable, but it was what Phineas had hoped for.

"Good, I need you to fill out your insurance details so we can file the bill." the doctor stated, and handed the clipboard over to Phineas.  
>Phineas received the clipboard with a confused look, and briefly glanced down at the sheets of paper before looking back at the doctor.<p>

"I don't have insurance." Phineas said confused.

"Well, then I guess you'll have to pay out of your own pocket." the doctor declared. That answer scratched inside Phineas's weary heart, and he was more confused than ever.

"This is an emergency though," Phineas said, "I thought there wasn't any bill."

"No sir, you have to pay the medical bill for his operation and hospitalization since he is unable to do so; that, and we have no records on him here."

Phineas's felt irritation itch inside his heart and his teeth grit together.

"Fine, how much is it?" Phineas asked.

"About $5,000."

"Five thousand! For an operation?" Phineas demanded, frustration slowly seeping out.

"That's the cost sir, your friend is in critical condition." the doctor added.

"I don't even have 5,000." Phineas growled.

"I'm sorry sir, but you're gonna have to pay in some way." the doctor stated.

"But this is an emergency!" Phineas countered with a raised voice.

"Look, you need to pay the bill anyways, so why don't you just calm down-"

The door opened behind the demanding doctor.

"Victor!" a voice interrupted. The doctor whom Phineas was talking to turned around to face the other doctor, who held the door open with one hand.  
>He wore the exact same cloths, but he had a stethoscope and blue latex gloves on.<p>

"Victor, he's Case 107." the doctor said. Phineas watched as the clipboard was snatched away and Dr. Victor rush past the other doctor back into the Emergency area.

Phineas felt his frustration still boiling, and also he felt he could have done or said more against that impetuous Dr. Victor, but he was already gone, and there wasn't anymore he could've done or say.

The other doctor approached from the doorway. After that previous experience, Phineas was ready to lash out with words at the new doctor is necessary.  
>He didn't come to take their bullshit.<br>He was on the edge to brace for another argument about paying to take care of someone's life.

"I'm so sorry about that," the doctor greeted, "he tends to act before thinking, but he's a good doctor; my name is Dr. Gaius."  
>He pulled off one of his gloves with a smack and offered a handshake to Phineas. Reluctant but out of instinctive manners, he shook Dr. Gaius's hand.<p>

"How is he, doc?" Phineas wondered, his frustration burned out and replaced with full attention.

"We're still operating on him," Dr. Gaius reported, "the bullet pierced his diaphragm, broke through the lower bone in the ribcage, grazed the lower section of his right lung, tore through his stomach, and also tearing through the inferior vena cava vein in his heart, and there is a lot of spilled blood and stomach acid. There is also water and blood mixed in his lungs from when he fell into that puddle, and he has a small fracture on the left side of the skull from when his head hit the ground."

"Will he make it?" Phineas asked the question he was hoping to be answered.

Dr. Gaius gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm not sure."

* * *

><p><strong>(\\O.O/\/)**

_Tick...tock...tick...tock..._

Phineas just stared at the floor, listening to the clock above tick the time away. He was encumbered with fret as he slumped in his chair. From the hallway, he heard faint footsteps. From the sound of it, they were rushing, on the verge of running, and from the sound of it, there were a lot.

Phineas glanced up, just in time to see all of his friends and family spotting him through the glass. Each one of them looked like that they had just tumbled out of bed and rushed to the hospital.  
>Within a second, Buford had somehow gotten ahead of them and was holding the door open.<p>

"Phineas!" he heard Isabella's voice cry out. Phineas pushed himself up, but Isabella immediately hugged him tightly and buried her face in his damp shirt. Isabella was sniffling as she tightened her hug.

"Phineas..." Isabella choked out.

"Isabella." Phineas breathed as he returned her hug and kissed the top of Isabella's hair.

"I thought I lost you." Isabella said with a trembling voice. It pained Phineas to hear her sweet voice like this.

"I'm still here." Phineas said, trying to lighten the mood as best as he could.  
>The two pulled away and their eyes met. Phineas's eyes locked onto Isabella's watery dark blue eyes. He almost wanted to cry himself for all the worry he had put Isabella through.<p>

"Phineas Flynn!" he heard his mother's voice shout. He pulled away from Isabella to find his mother, but she was already on him, and was hugging him with her head over his shoulder.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Linda ordered with rage and sobs mixed in her voice.

"Mom, I'm fine." Phineas assured her as he returned the hug. She released him, and Phineas saw the tears running down her cheeks.

"Please don't do that again." his mother said and tightly hugged him.

"I won't." Phineas answered as he tried to wiggle free. Linda reluctantly let go of him.

"Phineas!" Candace exclaimed and ran over to hug her little brother with teary eyes. Just like Linda's hug, Candace clamped down on Phineas with her arms. "I thought I lost you, little brother."

"I'm still here, Candace." Phineas said as he tried not to get crushed. "Where's Jeremy?" Candace quickly pulled away.

"Thanks for reminding me, Phineas, he's at home with Amanda. I gotta call and let him know that you're alright." Candace said as she pulled out her cell phone and stepped out of the lounge room.

Phineas spotted Ferb standing right next to him.

Silently, Ferb placed his hand on Phineas's shoulder. Even though he remained quiet, Phineas could see in Ferb's eyes the worry he had caused his step-brother. Phineas gave a nod.

"Phineas, are you alright?" he heard his step-father ask in concern. Phineas turned to his step-dad and managed a smile.

"I'm alright." Phineas answered. He was a step-father, but he was the only father he had. Lawrence gave a smile in return, and then attended to the matter of calming down his wife.  
>Phineas noticed that Buford, Adyson, Baljeet, and Mrs. Garcia Shapiro were in the room as well.<p>

"Oi Phineas...are you ok?" Mrs. Garcia Shapiro asked as she gave Phineas a comforting hug.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Shapiro." Phineas told her. She pulled away and immediately glanced down at his shirt with wide eyes.

"Ay! Cómo obtener sangre en usted! Phineas, there's blood on you!" Mrs. Garcia Shapiro exclaimed and pointed at his damp shirt.  
>Everyone turned and they all saw the big blobs of red blood on Phineas's shirt. Everyone either gasped or showed signs of repulsion.<p>

"Oh...crap." Phineas muttered sadly.

"Phineas! Are you bleeding?" Linda exclaimed and rushed over to him.

"No mom, I'm not." Phineas said, now feeling a sick feeling wash over him.

"Then whose blood is it?" Baljeet wondered, sicken at the sight.

"It's...Cullen's." Phineas said aloud. Everyone gasped, except for Buford.

"Oh...I thought Phineas got a red shirt." Buford remarked. Adyson elbowed him in the ribcage, hard.

"What happened?" Irving asked, finally speaking up. Phineas glanced over at his direction. He was a few steps away from the main group, making it look like he was excluded. He wore baggy pants, a green shirt, shoes, and the same hairdo and glasses. He was about two inches under Phineas's height. Phineas motioned him to come closer, which he did.

"There was this robber..." Phineas began to tell what happened. Everyone listened carefully.  
>At first, Phineas didn't want to tell, not wanting to remember those not-so-long ago memories, but they had asked, so he found it right to tell them.<p>

"We just left a club, and there was a robber in the back alley. The robber had a gun and demanded us to get down. Cullen step forth and tried to talk some sense into him...but...he..." Phineas found himself choking up.

"What happened!" Linda demanded. Phineas somehow found his voice.

"He was...shot." Phineas told. He watched as the news sunk in with everyone. Ferb closed his eyes. Isabella and Adyson gasped. Buford's eyes went big. Baljeet and Irving were left speechless. However, it was the adults who had the worst reactions.

"Shot?" Linda repeated with a loud voice, "he was shot?" Phineas just gulped and nodded. His dad's eyes started to water up, Mrs. Garcia Shapiro started to sniffle, but Linda broke out in sobs.

"Where is he?" Linda asked as she tried to hold back her emotions.

"He's in the Emergency Room." Phineas told.

"Oh...why, Lawrence?" Linda sobbed as she threw herself at Lawrence, who slowly wrapped his arms around his wife. "Why?"

Lawrence didn't know what to say. He leaned over and rested his chin on her hair, holding her tightly in his arms. Mrs. Garcia Shapiro had to hug her daughter so she wouldn't break out in tears as well.

"What happened next?" Buford dared to ask. Once again, he spoke for everyone, since nobody had the courage to ask.

"The robber cornered me...and was about to shoot..." Phineas said, the dreadful fear of staring down the barrel of the M9 pistol several meters away returning. Phineas braced him and continued. "Then...Cullen...he was on the ground behind the robber where he was shot...he killed the robber."

"He killed the robber?" Adyson repeated.

"He flipped himself over, and he had a revolver...and he emptied the whole chamber into the robber." Phineas heard himself say. His mind was elsewhere, remembering the gunshots ringing in his ear and the vivid sight of the robber being punctured with .45 revolver bullets and red blobs splashing on the inside of the robber's cloths and the piercing sound of each bullet made.

"Wait...where was he shot?" Baljeet asked. It sounded like he was trying to figure something out.

"The doctor said he was shot in the diaphragm, his stomach, his lower right lung, the lower bone of his ribcage, and his inferior vena cava. He also received a fractured skull when he fell to the ground, and water and blood got into his lungs." Phineas reported.  
>This news only seemed to distraught everyone even more, except for Baljeet.<p>

"How big was the bullet?" Baljeet asked another question.

"I think a nine millimeter." Phineas said. Baljeet brought his hand up to his chin as he thought and calculated. After a few seconds, Baljeet held a confused expression.

"If it was just a single nine millimeter, then how did it do so much damage?" Baljeet asked, "the range and radius of the damage you said is a bigger hole than what a nine millimeter could do. How was there so much damage?" Baljeet thought aloud. Despite his being oblivious, Phineas knew what Baljeet was getting at. "Not only that, how was Cullen able to flip himself over and have enough strength to pull out a revolver and fire all six shots?" Baljeet added.

"He's a war horse, that's why." Buford put in. Phineas felt the tension ease up at Buford's remark/view on Cullen.

"A war horse?" Adyson repeated in disbelief, "really?"

"What? He saved Phineas and he was in the military! If he's not a war horse, then he must be some super soldier or...something!" Buford defended his statement.

"Anyone can save a life Buford." Adyson scoffed.

"I guess that makes them saviors as well."

Candace entered back into the lounge room as she closed her cell phone.

"Phineas, Jeremy says not to do that again." Candace said with a smile as she wiped away her dry tear streaks on her cheeks. Phineas gave a thumbs up.  
>Now the rest of the group was trying to help the three older adults calm down, especially Linda. The attention was momentarily drawn off of Phineas.<p>

However, the words that Buford said struck Phineas and made him bring up the vague fact that he knew deep in his mind. Before he could dwell on the thought, however, Irving came up to him.

"Hey, Phineas? Thanks for...letting me in on this." Irving thanked.

"No problem Irving, I can always count on you." Phineas thanked. Irving just smiled.

"Thanks buddy," Irving said. Phineas gave him a smile. "I wouldn't know what I would do if Cullen didn't save your life." Irving added.

Those words brought back the previous thought buried in his mind.

Cullen had saved Phineas's life.

'It should've been me.'

As if he had read his mind, Ferb gave Phineas a cold stare that clearly said 'no'.

"But Ferb..." Phineas tried to say what he was thinking. Ferb reached over and ruffled Phineas's long red hair with a smile. A single tear slipped from Ferb's eye. Phineas had to smile at what Ferb told him.

Still...even with Ferb's helpful 'words', Phineas was stubborn in his mind.

'It should have been me instead of Cullen.' Phineas told himself in his head.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I've been trying to keep up with updating the stories, and it has been challenging. So sorry for the delay...if there was a due date that I was aware of. If it seems as if I am focusing the story a lot on Phineas...don't worry, every character plays a major role in what will happen. Thanks for reading the chapter, and leave a review if you wish to.<strong>


	12. Recovery

**Author's note: I apologize for the extreme delay of posting up chapters. My laptop's hard drive broke, and the new one took a week to be delivered, and everything else made before was lost. Silence to the excuses! Happy Valentines to everyone, even though it is a few days late.**

* * *

><p><strong>Recovery<strong>

**FOUR HOURS AGO…**

The Emergency Room Lounge was just about empty, besides the sole night intern working at the front desk. Most of the gang had left, either needing their sleep or they were busy in the morning, and all that remained were the Flynn-Fletchers and the Garcia-Shapiros.

"Are you sure you want to stay?" Linda Flynn asked, dearly hoping that her son would change his mind about staying until visiting hours in the too early morning.

"Yes, yes I am." Phineas told his mother. He was sitting down on the sofa, looking at his family who stood before him. His father stifled a tiresome yawn, Ferb was working out the kinks in his neck, and his mother was still nervous about him. Her eyes were heavy, she had dried tear stripes on both of her cheeks, and she needed sleep, but she was hesitant about letting Phineas stay. She wasn't the only one.

"Isa…are you sure you don't wanna come home?" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro asked her daughter. Isabella was sitting right next to Phineas on the sofa. She had decided to stay with Phineas to 'make sure he didn't get into any more trouble', as she put it. Besides, after her boyfriend nearly being killed, she didn't want to leave his side.

"Yeah mom, I'm staying with Phineas," Isabella told her mother with a smile, "and don't worry mom, Phineas will take care of me."

Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro sighed in defeat, then stared down at Phineas.

"You better make sure nothing happens to my Isa." the protective mother warned Isabella's boyfriend.

"Don't worry Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro," Phineas assured, "she'll be fine." Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro nodded in agreement. Phineas felt the amount of trust Isabella's mom had in him, and felt vaguely proud of that in his heart.

Candace reached down and ruffled Phineas's red hair.

"Take care little brother." she told him with a smile. Phineas returned the smile with his own.

"Well, I think we should all head home and get some rest now," his father suggested, "take care Phineas, we'll see you in the morning."

"Alright dad." Phineas said as the adults exited the lounge. Ferb gave Phineas a fist bump before he left, which was Ferb's saying of 'see ya'.

Now Phineas and Isabella were left all alone in the lounge. Isabella scooted closer to Phineas and laid down on his side, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her close.

"It's about time we had some time together." Isabella sighed. Phineas smiled as he leaned over to her and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah…yeah it is." Phineas yawned, apparently tired as well. He checked the clock, which displayed two o'clock A.M.

"Don't ever do that again, Phineas." Isabella said, her voice soft from the encumbering sleepiness. Phineas felt his mind start to slip a little into a dreamy subconscious, but he managed to get his words out and hold Isabella even closer to his chest.

"I promise I won't." Phineas muttered. After about five minutes, they both drifted into their on dreams, with Isabella in Phineas's arm.

* * *

><p><strong>PRESENT TIME<strong>

**Danville Hospital**

**6:00 A.M.**

**Emergency Room Lounge**

Phineas was asleep on the couch, slumping over on the armrest. Isabella was still sleeping, except she had shifted during her sleep and had leaned the other way, placing her legs across Phineas's lap. With every intention, Phineas wanted to be the first to visit Cullen when he was ready.

Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't the first.

The door to the medical area opened up, and four figures walked out.  
>The tall old man had a crisp green uniform with a silver eagle emblem pinned on his top left shoulder.<br>The second man had a semi-oversized head with glasses and brown hair and dressed like an intern.  
>The third figure was just about as tall as the first man, except he had a slouched forward back, a pointy nose, and dressed like a pharmacist.<br>The last figure's height didn't even past their knee levels. That, and he had teal fur, a beaver tail and a bill, along with a brown fedora on his head.

"Jeez, I can't believe something like that would happen to him." the pharmacist-looking man said with a very old and scratchy voice as they were walking.

"Hopefully, he will be fully recovered in no time." the first man added with his stern voice.

"Chances for recovery are 50%, sir." the third man theorized, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a cloth from his pocket.

"Carl…what did I tell you about staying positive?" the first man asked.

"I'm just making a calculation, sir." Carl replied as they walked past the sleeping Phineas and Isabella on the couch, taking no notice to the two 18 year olds at all.

"Carl, I thought I taught you better." the first man griped. Then the third man raised his hand and index finger.

"Actually, Dr. Coconut has a point," the pharmacist-looking guy butted in, "that technically _was_ just a calculation."

"I still see you have the impulse to deride me with the absurd nickname of 'Dr. Coconut', eh _'Doof'_?"

"I told you guys not to call me that!" the man snapped and pointed his index finger at Carl.

"Grrrgrrrgrrrgrrr." Perry the Platypus chittered as he fixed his fedora.

"Stay out of this Perry the Platypus, this is an argument between me, the Major, and Carl!" Doofenshmirtz warned.

"You do know I am a Colonel now, right?"

As the group exited the Emergency Room Lounge, Perry glanced behind him and realized that they literally strolled past Phineas and Isabella sleeping on the couch.

Just as the colonel was about to leave, Perry tugged on his green uniform. The Colonel glanced down at the platypus.

"What is it Agent P?"

Perry pointed back at Isabella and Phineas lying asleep on the couch.

"Great googly moogly! How did we not see them?" the colonel wondered.  
>Perry gave his superior a pleading smile, which the colonel just sighed.<p>

"Alright Agent P, as Colonel of the O.W.C.A., I hereby grant you the day off." the colonel proclaimed and left the lounge.

Happy with his temporary relieve, Perry took off his fedora, reverted back to his mindless disguise on all fours, and slowly walked over towards the couch.

**(…,,,…,,,)**

* * *

><p>Perry reared up on his hind legs and pressed his front feet against Phineas's knee. Phineas slowly started to stir his head on the couch with a light moan. Perry drew back his breath.<p>

"Grrrgrrrggrrrgrrr."

Upon hearing that sound, Phineas's eyes snapped open, and he came face to face with his middle-aged platypus on his knee.

"Oh…" Phineas yawned, "there you are Perry."

Phineas tried to rise, but Isabella's legs across his lap held him in place. As Phineas carefully reached to get up, his eyes couldn't help but trace over Isabella's seemingly perfect legs. Unintentionally, his eyes continued to examine her exposed legs, and he suddenly had the lust to stroke up and down her soft skin. That desire brewed a very dirty thought in Phineas's mind; a dirty thought about him, Isabella, and her legs.

'Don't be a pervert, Phineas.' he scolded himself mentally as he gently lifted her legs up and scooted himself off the couch.

"Phineas…" Isabella moaned in her sleep as he quietly placed her legs back down on her couch.

'Fuck.' Phineas snapped in his head as he tried to keep his body in check. After standing straight up and stretching, he glanced down at Perry, who was patiently waiting for him.

"How'd you get here boy?" Phineas rhetorically asked as he bent over to pick up Perry and cradled him in his arm.  
>Suddenly remembering why he was at the hospital, Phineas turned to the front desk. Carrying Perry in his arm, he walked over to the counter and found the working intern behind a computer.<p>

"Uh, excuse me?" Phineas asked. The intern looked away from the computer and stared up at Phineas.

"Good morning sir, how can I help you?" the intern greeted/asked.

"Are visiting hours open?" Phineas wondered.

"Yes sir, are you looking for someone?"

"Yeah, Cullen Prowl?"

The intern hesitantly tried to type, but he just couldn't find the right keys to press down on. After a few seconds, the intern let out a sigh of defeat and continued to try and type on the keyboard.

"I'm sorry about this, sir." the intern apologized, not looking up at Phineas. Phineas gave him a confused expression.

"About what?" Phineas wondered, not really feeling any sort of annoyance or irritation at all.

"My incapacity to type well," the intern said as he finally found and pressed the right key, "in comparison to other interns working here, I'm the slowest."  
>Come to think of it, Phineas didn't realize the intern's disadvantage till he mentioned it.<br>Phineas felt some pity for the intern.

"Don't worry about it, take your time." Phineas assured him with a smile. The intern tried to type again, but after several attempts, the intern slumped his shoulders and arms to his side and sighed.

"I can't type, but I do know which patient you are talking about." the intern said, sitting up strait in his chair. Phineas blinked and looked at the intern.

"You do?"

"Yeah, they were taking him out of the Emergency Room when I started my shift this morning."

"Where is he?" Phineas asked with sincerity. The intern leaned back and peek at the ICU rooms behind the front desk.

"You take a left down the hallway…the last room to your…right, it's a corner room." the intern reported. "You can go see him now."

"Thanks." Phineas said as he turned around to go wake up Isabella. He tramped back to the couch, set Perry down on the floor, and lightly shook Isabella's shoulders.

"Isabella…wake up." Phineas pleaded graciously. Isabella groaned and started to roll over on her side. Phineas moved a few stray strands of her smooth hair in front of her face and tried to wake her up again; still with no effect. He then had an idea that would wake her up. With a smile, he leaned forward and kissed her delicate lips. As Phineas kissed her, he felt Isabella's lips stir and return the kiss, a quiet moan escaping her mouth.

When Phineas pulled away, Isabella's eyes slowly opened, and she had a lazy smile on her face.

"Whatcha doin?" Isabella greeted blissfully. Phineas felt all fuzzy inside, but his mind stayed focus on the matter at hand.

"Getting you up." Phineas answered. Isabella giggled, and Phineas felt his heart melt at the sound. "Let's go see Cullen now."

Almost immediately, Isabella drowsily pushed herself up off the couch, and Phineas helped her to her feet. After taking a moment to let Isabella fix her hair, Phineas and his girlfriend walked over to the doorway, with Perry following close behind.

As the two entered the vicinity beyond the Lounge door, a cold blast of air escaped. Isabella shivered just a little, but Phineas ignored the cold thanks to his jacket. They glanced around the place. A few nurses dressed in crisp hospital clothing occupied with their jobs and a team of mechanics trying to fix a broken light overhead.

Recalling what the intern at the front desk told him, Phineas guided the group left, passing by multiple occupied ICU rooms. As he walked down the hallway, his eyes what seemed to be the last ICU room near the window at the end of the hallway.

After what seemed like minutes, Phineas, Isabella, and Perry reached the last room on the right side: ICU Room 64.

Without hesitation, Phineas reached out and pulled down the silver door lever. As he opened the door, the three of them walked into a room with shelves full of medicine, another door, a sink, and an automatic sanitizer station. Phineas and Isabella both received the wet and slippery alcohol and rubbed their hands with it. Once ready, Isabella opened the second door, which revealed a sad sight for both of their eyes.

* * *

><p>"Cullen!" Isabella gasped and dashed in, along with Phineas and Perry.<p>

In the middle of the room was a hospital bed.  
>In that hospital bed, laid a bandaged man with tubes coming out of his body, all connected to monitoring machines on both sides of the bed.<br>There was also a green display screen with a green heartbeat line that made the beep every heartbeat.  
>The heart rate was slow, and patient was gradually inhaling and painfully exhaling.<p>

"Hey…Isabella." Cullen greeted in a raspy voice as Isabella rushed over to the edge of the bed and leaned over. Phineas rushed over too, a surge of raw emotions filled through Phineas, but he couldn't find any words to describe his feelings as he gaped at Cullen. Cullen limply turned his head towards Phineas and had a weak grin on his face. Phineas's eyes started water up.

"Did ya have a good time?" Cullen chuckled.

"Cullen…I…" Phineas started to choke up again, "I'm…sorry." Cullen started to cough, which shook his entire body. Isabella placed a hand on Cullen's shoulder to calm him down.

"For what?" Cullen coughed out and he took a deep breath to stop himself from shaking.

"I'm sorry Cullen," Phineas apologized, unable to look Cullen straight in the eyes. Phineas hung his head down at the light blue blanket that covered over Cullen and the hospital bed. "It should have been me."

Isabella gasped and placed her arm around Phineas, trying to comfort him. Phineas had to shut his eyes from the burning sensation in his eyes as he held back his tears.

"Phineas…" Cullen groaned, "it wasn't…your fault." Phineas shook his head.

"I should've done something." Phineas said, his voice broken up by quiet sobs.

"Phineas, it wasn't your fault." Isabella tried to calm her boyfriend down.

"I should've done something." Phineas stubbornly said. A tear streaked down Phineas's cheek and dripped down to the light blue blank under him.

"Phineas!" Cullen snapped, but immediately snarled in pain. Phineas and Isabella glanced at Cullen, and patiently waited for him to speak as he recuperated his words.

"It wasn't your fault," Cullen said in between breaths, "how could it be your fault…when the guy shot me?"

That horrible memory flooded back into Phineas's head.

"But I-" Phineas started to say, wiping his watery eyes.

"Besides," Cullen interrupted with a gasp for air, "you called the police…right?"

"Yeah, I did." Phineas replied.

"So in a way…you saved my life." Cullen mumbled, smiling at the irony.

Phineas felt calmed down by Cullen's reasoning, and smiled back at Cullen. Isabella patted Phineas on his back and kissed his cheek.

"Phineas…" Cullen groaned.

"Yes?"

"My house…is yours."

Phineas was overwhelmed at what he heard Cullen speak of.

"Your…house?" Phineas checked to make sure.

"Yea…it's yours now."

"But…what about your buddies like…Marcel or Luke?"

"Those three guys left a few days ago and they ain't coming back." Cullen explained, "Will you promise to take care of the house?"  
>Seeing the hurt in Cullen's face, Phineas didn't dare to refuse and say no.<p>

"Yes Cullen, I will."

"Thanks." Cullen sighed and laid his head back. "Is Perry with you?"

"Yep, he's right here." Isabella said and reached down to pick up Perry off the ground, who was quietly sitting right beside the bed. Isabella carefully placed Perry down at the foot of the bed, on top of the blanket.

"Grrrgrrrgrrgrrr." Perry chittered as he stared at Cullen.

"Aww…Perry…" Cullen sighed as he tried to catch up with his breathing.

Phineas reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and started to dial Irving's number. Irving was a loyal guy, and nobody could get information out better than he could.

The phone only rang once on the line.

"Phineas, is everything alright?" Irving asked on the line.

"Yeah," Phineas said and glanced back at everyone. Isabella was petting Perry, while Cullen had closed his eyes.

"Tell everyone he's alright." Phineas instructed Irving.

"I'm already on it." Irving complied on the phone.

"Thanks."

"Anytime Phineas." Irving said and hung up.

Phineas closed his cell phone and he looked out the corner windows of the morning sky of Danville and it's city. Phineas sighed in relief and joy.

Everything was alright.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's notes: Again, I am sorry for long update time periods, and if chapters are seemingly getting suddenly short. Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more chapters until it is finished, and leave a review if you wish. I accept flames and criticism…so feel free to do so.<strong>


	13. Hospitality

**Author's note: I admit, the last chapter wasn't good like others, but…what can I do now? Redo it and spend my time working on an old chapter instead of new ones? Nah, we rollin' now! Oh, and for those who have stuck by this story through all the bad chapters and spelling errors…thanks.**

* * *

><p><strong>Hospitality<strong>

"Where are they?"

"They said they're a few minutes away."

"They said that a few minutes ago!"

Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, and Baljeet were scattered on the front lawn and driveway of the one-story house that Cullen had given to Phineas just yesterday. Phineas was still worried about Cullen's critical condition, but the only thing he could do was hope for the best. He knew that if he announced to everyone that he legitimately owned a house, just about everyone would flock to the place. That's why Phineas only invited his close friends to come and check the place out with him.

Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford accepted the invitation, but the others couldn't make it. Django had to help with a special Art class, despite it being a weekend day. Irving said he needed to do something else, which was slightly odd to Phineas since he never wanted to miss something out with Phineas or Ferb.

Now, the group was impatiently waiting for Buford. Phineas was half surprised when Buford called on the cell phone and said he was bringing some friends. Phineas was slightly pissed off, but Buford explained that they would help move the heavy stuff if necessary.

Isabella was sprawled out on the green lawn, Baljeet was seeking for something to do while on the driveway, and Ferb was silently standing beside Phineas. Once again, Phineas craned his head out and searched down the street. The only thing he saw were a few cars driving on the intersection a few blocks away, and the Tri-State Academy's fenced in campus.

"Ferb, do you see anything?" Phineas asked as he continued to look for Buford's truck. Phineas felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around and glanced at where Ferb was looking. There, coming down the street was Buford's truck. Buford drove the truck, while Adyson sat in the passenger's seat. Phineas sighed in relieve, he had thought Buford would bring his entire Bones gang.

As Buford started to turn into the driveway, Baljeet glanced up at the big pick up truck looming towards him.

"Aaahhh!" Baljeet shouted as he threw himself onto the grass, narrowly evading the truck that screeched to a halt right where Baljeet was previously sitting.  
>Ferb, Phineas, and Isabella quickly ran over to see if Baljeet was alright, and Buford and Adyson were getting out of the truck.<p>

"Are you crazy? You could have hit me!" Baljeet scolded angrily.

"Get outta the way then nerd!" Buford shot back.

"Baljeet's right, Buford, that was kinda close." Phineas pointed out. Adyson nudged Buford's elbow.

"I told ya." Adyson said. Buford just rolled his eyes.

"Is this everyone?" Isabella asked Phineas. Phineas was about to reply when Buford barged in.

"Wait a sec." Buford declared and went over to the back of his truck. "Hey guys, we're here."

Phineas watched in disappointment as Whiz and George sat up in the back and hopped out.

Actually, Whiz hopped out; George's shoe got caught and he tumbled out and onto the grass. Phineas stifled his laughter, while Buford and Whiz laughed at their fellow bully's misery.

"Aww man…that's gonna leave a mark." George groaned as he pushed himself up.

"Dude, you landed on grass." Whiz told him. George looked confused, then stared back down at the imprint he left on the grass.

"Oh..." George mumbled.

"Is everyone here _now_?" Baljeet asked.

"Yep, everyone is here." Buford reported.

"Ok, let's go inside." Phineas said as they all walked across the front lawn, and over to the doorway. Phineas lifted up the dirty doormat and found the spare key underneath.

"Awe, that's cute." Adyson remarked when she saw the key. The key was carved in the shape of a revolver.

The sight of the revolver brought back the thought of guns to Phineas, and the memory of what happened. Quickly, he shrugged off the memory and reached for the key. Picking up the piece of sharpened metal and rubbing off the dirt, Phineas slid the key into the lock and unlocked the door. Everyone was crowded behind Phineas, wanting to see what was inside the house.

Phineas opened the door, and he smelled the familiar scent of the home, yet the entire place felt foreign and unknown to him. Once everyone was inside, Whiz closed the door behind them.

* * *

><p>"Whoa…check it out!" Buford said in amazement. Phineas glanced around his shoulders and noticed that everyone else was surprised at what they saw inside the house. He wondered if they were feeling that captivating feeling, why wasn't he?<p>

'I guess I'm use to it.' Phineas mumbled in his mind. Buford and George went into the living room, Ferb, Baljeet, and Whiz set off to survey out the rooms, and Adyson and Isabella headed off to check out anywhere else.

Phineas sullenly entered the kitchen and examined the place he was just a few days ago with Cullen.

"Hey look, an X-box!" Phineas heard Buford exclaim. Phineas chuckled at his friend's remark, but that wasn't enough to pull his attention away from the kitchen.

He saw the chocolate cake resting on the glass stand, enclosed by a glass cover. As Phineas walked over to the table, he recalled the little tale that Cullen had told him that night, and how they both left the house afterwards; Phineas's seat was still scooted out right where he left it.

Phineas sat in his previous seat and pulled himself closer to the table. In front of him were the silverware and plates with chocolate crumbs from the cake he had eaten.

Everything around him held a haunting vibe to Phineas as he checked around the kitchen, even the military photo of Cullen and Sergeant Sanchez.

Phineas felt a ting of guilt as he glanced over at Cullen's seat right across from him. Phineas let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"Hey Phineas, the news is on!" George called out.

"So?" Phineas answered back with his head turned so he could his shout could reach further.

"You might be on the news!" George exclaimed with excitement.

Hesitantly but still interested, Phineas got up out of his seat, and walked over to the living room. When he reached the living room, he saw Buford sprawled on the sofa, and George staring with intent at the T.V.

"…_so that's the Tri-State Area's weather for the next week, cloudy with a low chance of thunderstorms._" the news reporter stated as he picked up another paper.

"_And now for major news throughout the Tri-State Area_."

"I'm bored." Buford declared and got off the couch. Phineas went around and took Buford's spot right next to George, and continued to watch the news.

Time seemed to fly forward to Phineas as he had his eyes glued to the T.V., surreptitiously hoping that the Ed's Night Club shooting was on the news.  
>Although what he was hoping for was a little bit selfish, hoping that he may be on T.V., but it was also to let others know what exactly happened.<p>

After a segment about a Fireside Girl Tournament, George drifted off to wander the house, leaving Phineas alone to keep watching for the news channel to mention the shooting. A bunch of noise was going on all around the house, but Phineas just turned up the volume and focused on the news.

_A criminal shot and killed and the shooter on trial._

_Major accident on the South Bound Freeway; no injuries._

_Tri-State/Danville Stadium undergoing demolition for more residential homes._

_107 Industries ownership is handed down to the company C.E.O._

Phineas recalled how Doctor Gaius had classified Cullen's operation as 'Case 107', and wondered if that number had anything to do with Cullen.  
>Figuring it out as just a coincidence, Phineas maintain his watch for a specific news segment.<p>

_A new hit autotune singer_

_Sightings of 'Terminators' in California._

_Police officier being accused and sued for a racial arrest._

The last segment after that caught Phineas attention for a brief moment, but it wasn't what he had hoped for.

It was about how the Chilidog Station was closed down due to a 'pet' rat being found in the kitchen.

As soon as Phineas heard the words '_…and that's all the news for today..._" he immediately aimed the T.V. remote and shut off the T.V., feeling empty and frustrated inside his heart and mind. Even though he obtained some information on what was happening around Danville, Phineas felt as if he wasted his time.

"Whatcha' doin?" he heard Isabella's voice asked gently behind him. Isabella bent over the couch and enveloped her arms around the sitting Phineas's neck and rested her chin on his red hair. Isabella's hair drooped over Phineas, and he caught the whiff of the sweet fragrance of her shampoo. That very second, he thought about how damn lucky he was to be with Isabella.

"Not much," Phineas spoke as stood up and out of Isabella's arms, "what are you doin?"

"Still exploring the house, did you know he had a bouncy guest bed?" Isabella asked, her voice with excitement.

"Yes, yes I did." Phineas answered back.

"Did you see his photos?" Isabella wondered.

"Which ones?" Phineas asked. Isabella motioned him to follow, and Phineas tagged along. The couple entered the hallway and walked over to one of the rooms. When Phineas entered the room, he immediately noticed how cramp the capacity was when he found him standing extremely close behind Isabella. Ferb and Baljeet were also in the room. Ferb was examining a photograph in his hand that he picked up off the photography table, while Baljeet was sitting on a fancy sofa chair, reading a book from the large bookshelf right behind him.

"I did not know Cullen was so much into reading." Baljeet remarked as he continued to read the book "Ideologies of the Brain". Phineas took a brief look at the titles of some of the books on the shelf. A few of them were given military titles, while others had sci-fi names. Many of them, however, were documentary books about random things; computer animation, business management, physical training, and many other topics.

Ferb glanced over at Phineas, and offered him the photo he was just examining. Phineas moved around Isabella and received the photograph. In the picture frame was a photograph of a bunch of young kids, their pet: Perry, and Cullen on Maple Drive. It took a second for Phineas to recognize the faces of the kids.

"Hey, that's us!" Phineas said with amazement. The photo showed Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford when they were all 10 years old.  
>Cullen stood in the back, with both a grin and his biker choppers on his face.<p>

"When was this taken?" Phineas thought aloud as he inspected the photo. Ferb just shrugged and handed Phineas another picture. Holding the previous picture in his left hand, Phineas obtained the snapshot and looked it over. The photo was retro looking, and in the photo was Cullen and his mom and step-dad, Linda and Lawrence!  
>The three of them were standing in front of a pickup truck; Linda and Lawrence were holding each others hand, while Cullen was eased back on the hood of the truck.<p>

"Gosh, he hadn't aged a bit!" Isabella marveled as she looked over Phineas's shoulder. Phineas examined the photo of them with Cullen, and then at the one with Cullen has his mom and step-dad. Isabella was right, Cullen looked just exactly the same in both photos!

"You think he would change his style…" Phineas commented as he handed both picture frames back to Ferb.

"I'm wondering how he managed to keep his looks." Isabella said as she moved around Phineas to look at the other photos.

"Maybe one of his books may contain the answers you seek." Baljeet flatly told her. Isabella was about to snap at Baljeet about being a smart aleck, but then she thought it over, and decided to seek for a book about looks.

"Holy shit George!" Whiz's voice shouted in another room. Hearing the exclaim, Phineas and Ferb rushed out of the room and into the hallway.

"Whiz, what is it?" Phineas called out, trying to locate where the two Bones members where.

"Dude, come see what George found!" Whiz called back from the main bedroom. Phineas and Ferb headed over to Whiz's voice, and entered the main bedroom. Whiz was standing on the far side of the bed, while George, with his back turned, was right in front of them.

"Dude…look!" George said as he turned around and revealed what he carried. The first thing Phineas saw what the glimmering of jagged metal. His heart jumped and he took a step back while Ferb just blinked his eyes to check if what he was seeing was real. In George's hands was a metal case with a variety of razor-sharp knives and daggers. No one in the room had seen so many combat blades at once.

"George, where did you get that?" Phineas said, taking a slow step forward.

"In the garage," George answered as he looked over the blades, "it was underneath his work bench." Whiz hurried over and immediately shut the metal brief case as George was examining.

"Hey, I was looking at those!" George groaned and tried to open it again. Whiz kept his hand over the closed the metal brief case.

"Hell no man, you can kill someone with those!" Whiz pointed out.

"Man, you can kill someone with anything!" George shot back.

Ferb just step forward, and carefully place his hands on the metal case. Without a word, Ferb pulled the case away from George and Whiz, who immediately ceased to argue and watched as Ferb took the case. Ferb gave them a nod, and then turned to take the case away, but stopped and stared down at the top of the close cased with bewilderment.

"Whoa…" Ferb said aloud. Whiz and George glanced over his shoulder, and saw what Ferb was looking at.

"Holy shit…" George mumbled.

"What is it?" Phineas asked as he went up and leaned around to see what they were looking at.

There on the center of the metal casing was a carving. The carving was of a skull in front of two combat knives. The eyes were colored hot pink. Someone was able to slice into the metal and make a skull with hot pink eye sockets and two combat knives.

After taking a moment for Phineas to examine the incredible carving, Ferb walked out of the room with the case and went off to go put it somewhere. Phineas felt the need to know where it was going to be placed, since it was now his house after all. Then Phineas wondered what else did Cullen hide around the house.

* * *

><p>"Dude, I think we should get going." George suggested. Phineas glanced at the digital alarm clock on the dresser, which displayed the time 4:32 P.M.<p>

"Yeah, we should," Phineas said, "round up everyone, and let's go get something to eat."

"OK." George said and the three of them exited the main bedroom. Phineas went to the front door, while Whiz and George went to round up everyone. One by one, everyone started to meet up at the front door, except for Buford and Adyson.

"Has anyone seen Buford?" Whiz asked them. Everyone shook their heads. Just as they all were about to search the house to find them, Buford and Adyson came around the corner and walked over to them.

"Where were you guys?" Baljeet asked them.

"In the house, why?" Buford answered with an angry tone.

"Just wondering…don't have to get all angry at me." Baljeet mumbled under his breath.

"What'd you guys find?" Adyson wondered.

"Some old photos, books, and a metal case full of combat knives." George remarked, everyone but the ones who saw the case stared at George.

"A metal case with knives?" Adyson said, not sure what to think.

"Yeah, I got one right here." George said as he pulled out a Bowie knife from his pocket. Everyone yelped and jumped back from George, who looked at everyone with confusion.

"What?" he asked all of them as he held the blade pointing up.

"Give me that!" Whiz growled as he snatched away the Bowie knife and went to go put it somewhere. George just stood their, blankly looking at his hand.

"What just happen?" he wondered.

"You idiot…" Buford snarled.

"You are not suppose to handle a knife like that!" Baljeet exlaimed as they all recovered, "Especially when that knife does not belong to you!"

"Oh..." George muttered.

When Whiz got back, everyone headed out the front door held open by Phineas. As Buford passed by Phineas, he noticed a red smudge on Buford's neck. Phineas was about to tell Buford about the smudge, when he looked more closely and saw that the red smudge was actually lipstick in the shape of kissing lips.

Buford noticed Phineas staring at his neck, and quickly reached his hand up to wipe it away. When he looked at his hand and saw the lipstick, his cheeks turned red, but then he glowered at Phineas.

"Not one word, Dinnabell." Buford hissed, and walked out of the house. Phineas closed the door and locked it up behind him.

'So that's why we couldn't find Buford and Adyson…' Phineas thought simply in his head, but then realized something. 'Wait…that means…'

"Damn it!" Phineas groaned aloud as he went over to where everybody was getting ready to go.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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><p><strong>Author's note: I apologize for the long wait, and for any spelling errors in the chapters. I hope that this was better than the last chapter…but I'll let yall decide.<strong>


	14. Memoirs of Flynn

**Author's note: For those who are reading…thanks. I apologize for the late updating.**

* * *

><p><strong>Memoirs of Flynn<strong>

"You got everything under control?" Phineas asked on his cell phone as he walked out of the hospital and into the bright parking lot. The sun reflected off of every shiny vehicle and sought to blind his eyes, but he narrowed his sights and continued to make his way to his parked motorcycle.

"Yes Phineas, I'm doing fine." Isabella's voice spoke from the speaker of the cell phone.

"Just making sure." Phineas told her. Isabella was getting ready a major test in order to pass the first grading quarter of the school year.

"Alright then, I better get going, we're starting in a few minutes." Isabella said. Phineas had then reached his motorcycle.

"Good luck." Phineas wished.

"Thanks." Isabella giggled, and the two of them hung up. Phineas mounted his motorcycle and gave a heavy sigh. He had just gotten out from visiting Cullen, who seemed to be returning to his normal self. Perhaps there was still some hope for the man who had been like an uncle to Phineas. Pulling out of the parking space, Phineas rode through the rows of park vehicles and navigated over to the exit.

As he rode out of the exit and onto the street, Phineas's mind was lost in deep thought. So many things had occurred over the last month, and just now he had decided to reminisce about it. His mind checked that action, and mentally sought for a good place around Danville to chill.

'Googolplex Mall? His old house? His new house? The industry part of town? Blueprint Haven?' the places cycled through his mind as Phineas listed a bunch of places that he remembered, 'Inventor's Emporium? Superduper Mega Superstore?' Finally after several thoughts and considerations, Phineas selected a destination.

"Danville Park." Phineas said aloud with a smile, and he took a left at the next stop sign.

(…,,,…,,,)

* * *

><p><strong>LATER AT DANVILLE PARK…<strong>

Phineas was sitting back on a wooden park bench, enjoying the spare time that he had. The sunshine had toned down, thanks to the big bloated clouds that dotted the blue skies and shielded and absorbed the intense rays. Looking at the clouds, Phineas thought back to how many times he and his friends have flown through the clouds and across the skies.

"Too many to count…" Phineas muttered with a smile. Suddenly, Phineas felt that he was just being lazy, so he challenged himself to memorize those inventions. After a moment of hard thinking, Phineas's mind retained the projects.

_The rollercoaster that they first built went up into space…how did they survive without air, he had no idea._

_That time he and Ferb were secret agents and drove that flying platypus craft._

_Their first adventure with Meap, when Ferb tricked out Meap's space craft._

_When they flew the Paper Pelican made of newspaper._

_They flew in the rocket-powered kiddy rides._

_When he and Ferb flew in the Beak suit._

_Not to leave out the fact that they flew around the whole world in about one day!_

_And he and his friends also 'drove' through the sky with that All Terrain Vehicle and on clouds._

In retrospect, Phineas wondered if that counted as 'flying'. A nice cool breeze of air blew against his face and through his red hair.  
>After the breeze died away, Phineas inhaled a deep breath, but almost gagged at the spiky gasoline odor.<p>

"Oh jeez…" Phineas groaned as he glanced over at the busy intersection at one of the open corners of the park. Vehicles were driving, and burning gas fumes brewed and evaporated in the air; polluting the air in the atmosphere. Heaving a sigh, Phineas got off from the park bench to stretch.

Feeling the rumble in his stomach, Phineas decided to go and get something to eat. Having the yearning for a slushy, and seeing that there was a Mr. Slushy Dawg restaurant right across the other end of the park, Phineas started to walk along with concrete sidewalk that snaked its way through the park.

As he walked, Phineas glanced around Danville Park, which was bustling with activity. He wasn't in the present, however; it was in the past.

"Gosh...we did a lot in this park." Phineas mumbled to himself as he continued to walk. While he shifted through the memories of inventing, the more Phineas realized how long ago those memories took place. In fact, he was walking through the place where a number of his inventions were made.

_Their _inventions.

Phineas rebuked his mind for deriving all of the credit to himself. He would have never been able to invent or build without Ferb's mechanical expertise.

The 'man of action' was mostly laconic, despite being his creative and clever self. Now that Phineas looked back on it, Ferb's personality was like a young adult's. However, that didn't get in the way of their daily projects. Their brotherly bond was something to be admired, not because Phineas admired it, but because other people said that they admired the step-brothers' friendship. Ferb was the best friend and brother Phineas had ever had.

* * *

><p>"Grrrgrrrgrrr." a little chitter interrupted Phineas's chain of reminiscing thoughts. The familiar noise instantly registered in Phineas's mind, and he turned around. There, standing right behind him, was a middle-aged monotreme who was freed of venom.<p>

"Oh, there you are Perry," Phineas said as he scooped up the platypus into his arms, "where've ya been?"

"Grrrgrrrgrrr." Perry answered as he was carried along in the arms of Phineas. Phineas had no idea how Perry had gotten to Danville Park, but he knew that he would be returning Perry back home, after he got a bite to eat at the Mr. Slushy Dawg of course.

* * *

><p>Phineas smiled as he carried Perry to the end of the park and waited for the right moment to cross the busy street. Now that he had thought about those past inventions, Phineas tried to remember when was the last time he and Ferb had invented something.<p>

"Hey Perry, when was the last time Ferb and I invented something?" Phineas asked the platypus in his arms as he spotted the opportunity to cross and walked across the open street.

"Grrrgrrrgrrr." was Perry's answer. Phineas wasn't sure what his answer was, but that didn't concern him at the moment. He stood outside and in front of the Mr. Slushy Dawg, holding his pet platypus in his arm. Mentally, he debated whether he should leave Perry outside, or take him into the fast food restaurant.

Looking around, he failed to see a 'No Pets Allowed' sign on the windows; and with a shrug, he walked into the place with Perry.

Right after he pulled open the glass door and stepped into the Mr. Slushy Dawg, a girl sitting with her mom in a booth seat spotted the teal colored monotreme.

"Look mommy!" the girl exclaimed and pointed at Perry's tail, "it's a beaver!" Judging by her looks, Phineas assumed that the girl was six.

"No Chloe, that's a platypus." the mother corrected. Phineas just smiled and continued to look for a booth seat to sit down in with his pet. Finding an open blue colored booth with a clean table, Phineas strolled on over and sat down, carefully placing Perry across the table.

With an exhale, Phineas glanced out the window, and on the other side of the traffic flowing through the streets, he could see the green grassy park. He remembered all of the inventions and adventures he and his friends did in that park.

"Hey Phineas." Jeremy's adult voice interrupted his thoughts. Phineas turned his head and saw Jeremy in his work uniform walking over with a clipboard holding an account sheet.

"Oh, hey Jeremy." Phineas greeted his in-law friend. It was good to have friends around, and Phineas knew it.

"Heyya Perry." Jeremy greeted the platypus as he sat down right next to him.

"Grrrgrrrgrrr." Perry chittered and rested his head on the table and proceeded to take a nap.

"You're still workin' here Jeremy?" Phineas asked. Phineas mentally remarked on how tough working at a fast food restaurant must be.

"Well, yeah. After all, I'm the manager here!" Jeremy said with a smile. Phineas savored the fact that he did not say his thought about fast food restaurants aloud.

"Congrats, bro." Phineas said with a smile, which Jeremy returned. "So how's Candace doing?"

"She has her hands full with Amanda," Jeremy replied and leaned forward, "thanks for helping her get over her fear of lightning."

"Oh no problem," Phineas said considerately, "anything to help out the family."

"I can see you being a good family type person." Jeremy remarked as he leaned back on the booth's cushion seat. Phineas was taken aback by his statement.

"Really? You can see a biker like me as a family guy?" Phineas repeated.

"Well, yeah!" Jeremy answered honestly, "after all, you and Isabella would both make great parents."

Phineas turned red at that statement, and Perry gave a little snort.

"See? Even Perry agrees!" Jeremy added.

"Jeremy, getting married is a big deal!" Phineas argued.

"It's just a suggestion." Jeremy said with a shrug.

"Grrrgrrrgrrr." Perry chittered with his eyes still closed. Phineas didn't know what Perry had said, but he had a feeling that it supported Jeremy's sayings.

"Perry, you're supposed to be asleep!" Phineas chuckled.

"So, what are you doing here? Jeremy finally asked.

"Oh, just wanted a slushy," Phineas admitted, "that…and I have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?" Jeremy inquired.

"Well…" Phineas tried his best to explain, "I'm still tryin' to get use to all of these events…"

"Oh…" Jeremy muttered, realizing the touchy subject. The conversation would've been over until Phineas persisted on.

"And also remembering the good times back then." Phineas added.

"Yeah, those were good times." Jeremy acknowledged and started to reminisce.

"Look at us, Jeremy; we're reminiscing like old guys now!" Phineas pointed out. They both shared a short laugh.

"Although, I was thinking about building something else sometime in the future." Phineas enlightened.

"Really?" Jeremy asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"Yep." was Phineas's answer.

Jeremy's face lit up, but he kept his cool and didn't overreact. That was something Phineas liked about him; he always seemed cool all the time.

"Well, when you _do_ build something, make sure to give me a call."

"Alright bro, I will." Phineas told him with a grin.

The more Phineas thought about constructing another invention, the more he wanted to do it.  
>Sure, it has been a while, but that didn't mean that Phineas lost all of his cleverness and ability to break the laws of physics.<p>

_Rmvvvvvv!_

Phineas felt his cell phone vibrate inside his pocket and reached to pull it out. When he did, he noticed that it was an unknown ID caller.  
>Wondering to see who was calling him, Phineas opened the phone and hit the green answer button.<p>

"Hello?" Phineas said on the line.

"Phineas Flynn?" a familiar voice asked in a calm but urgent manner.

"Yeees? And who is this?"

"This is Doctor Gaius." the doctor answered. Phineas now remembered the doctor who was helping Cullen get better. For a fraction of a second, Phineas felt as if bad news was about to unfold.

"Is something wrong doctor?" Phineas asked with concern.

"Phineas...he's dead."

Those words wrung in Phineas's head, but he was so full of denial and hope that Doctor Gaius was talking about someone else to comprehend what he had just heard.

"Who?" Phineas asked, but he had a dreadful feeling he already knew.

"Phineas…" Doctor Gaius sadly said, "Cullen is dead."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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><p><strong>Author's note: I do apologize for the long waiting periods in between chapters. Thankfully, this next chapter is one I am really going to enjoy creating, cause it will refer to a lot of past things in my other stories. To those who are reading, thanks for sticking around.<strong>


	15. A Truthful Day

**Author's note: This chapter is just about the mid-point of the story, and it has a lot of references to…previous stories of mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>A Truthful Day<strong>

Phineas looked himself over in the full mirror that was hanging on the plastered wall. He wore a black suit with a black tie and black slacks. Although he wasn't really much of a fan of the color black, Phineas figured that it showed respect and remembrance. Unlike bright colors that showed lightness, dark colors portrayed seriousness, and the darkest color was black.

The young adult was in one of the many rooms inside the Danville Funeral Home, making sure he looked presenting to the people gathered in the place.

Just then, Ferb came in and stood next to him, adjusting his own black tie. Apparently, the two young adults had the same view with attires, except Ferb had gel in his combed-back green hair.

Ferb cast a glance at Phineas in the mirror as he held his hands behind him.

"Yes, yes I am Ferb." Phineas's voice sorely mumbled. His mind flashed back about two days ago, when he, Perry, and Jeremy were having a bonding time at the Slushy Dawg.  
>Then that phone call brought down every bit of joy that Phineas had after that shooting incident. All of those days of happiness seem distant to Phineas, despite it being only two days ago.<p>

At first, Phineas's rage was directed at Dr. Gaius, mentally assuming that the medical staff did something to cause Cullen to die.  
>However, Phineas was proven wrong.<br>Records show that Cullen was given nothing that day. He just died. He only had a few weeks to go, too. Then again, it could be a cover up, but Phineas somehow knew that _that_ wasn't the case. Phineas heaved a sigh and held back the tears building up in his eyes.

Ferb gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder. Phineas reached up and rubbed his eyes to disperse the forming tears. Slowly the overwhelming emotion subsided, and Phineas remained under control.

"Have you seen Isabella?" Phineas asked quietly, really wanting to be with her now. Ferb nodded towards the hallway. Phineas steadily made his way out of the room and into the hallway.

The whole floor was covered in soft green carpeting, which made walking more comfortable and less noise. Making his way towards the front, he spotted Isabella and Candace near visitor's sign in book and the bright stain glass window. Isabella wore a brown coat with her cloths and Candace had a red coat on her usual attire.  
>Even Amanda was wearing a white dress as she hugged Candace's leg, timid and uncomfortable of the strangers around her. As Phineas approached, Amanda was the first to spot him.<p>

"Uncle Phineas!" Amanda exclaimed, and ran towards him. Phineas forced himself to smile as her little arms grabbed a hold of his right leg.

"What are you doing here?" Amanda wondered as she held onto his leg. Phineas weighed the decision whether to tell her the blunt truth, or tell it to her easily.  
>Managing the words in his head, Phineas carefully pried Amanda off of his leg.<p>

"One of our friends died a few days ago," Phineas softly explained, "so we are here to wish him goodbye."

The happy innocent look on Amanda's face slowly turned into a confused one.

"What do you mean by 'died'?" Amanda asked so openly.

That pulled one of Phineas's strings in his heart; now that he saw the purity and harmless virtue that mostly everyone has when they're children. He envied Amanda's position a little, seeing as she had no idea of the mourning all around her.

Phineas noticed that Candace had walked up and hefted up Amanda into her arms.

"He means that a friend of ours is sleeping." Candace enlightened with a faint smile. Isabella came over as well. Both he and Isabella briefly exchanged light grins.

"Well why is everyone here when he's just sleeping?" Amanda wondered. Candace didn't answer.  
>Candace looked up at Phineas, who was patiently waiting. Seeing that Isabella was standing next to her, and noticing the look in Phineas's eyes, Candace figured out the non-spoken request.<p>

"Come on Amanda, let's go find daddy." Candace said and gave an understanding smile to Phineas. Phineas silently thanked his sister for understanding. Candace walked away with Amanda in her arms, and Isabella took a step closer to Phineas.

"How ya feeling?" Isabella asked sympathetically and softly. Phineas sighed as he felt the weight of feelings being pressed down on his shoulders.

"I'm doing fine." Phineas told her, also trying to reassure himself, too. Despite his words, Isabella could see right through them, and knew exactly how Phineas felt. Isabella kindly closed the space between her and Phineas and hugged him. Phineas hung his head over Isabella shoulder.

"I just can't believe he's gone." Phineas muttered sadly.

"Me, too." Isabella mumbled back, her voice sounding like she was on the edge of crying. Not wanting her to cry, Phineas hugged Isabella even tighter, hoping to somehow let Isabella know that she wasn't alone.

Phineas didn't feel unique about the feelings he and everybody else was experiencing. Despite him wanting to, Phineas was well aware that death happens all the time, and everyone experiences these feelings as well. Not just him.

"Oh you two…" Phineas heard Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro's voice say. A sudden burst of panic ran through his heart, but before he could do anything, an arm wrapped around his back and compressed him uncomfortably closer to Isabella, who also felt the same. It took a moment for him to realize that Isabella's mother was hugging them both at the same time.

"Mother, you can let go." Isabella said as gently as she could.

"Oh sorry Izza." Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro quickly apologized and released the two. Phineas smiled as he fixed his tie and Isabella pressed her brown coat.

"How are you Phineas? Are you ok? Do you need anything? You need another hug? Is everything alright? " Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro hastily asked, trying to find the best to comfort Phineas.

"I'm doing fine, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro," Phineas replied and looked towards the main ceremony room with pews and an open steel casket at the end, "is my mom doing ok?"

"Pobre y querido…Lawrence is doing his best, but she's still…sad." Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro told, and glanced over at where Linda and Lawrence were. Phineas followed her glance, and found his step-father and mother sitting down in the front pew. Lawrence had his arm around Linda, and Linda had her face pressed into Lawrence's suit, no doubt she was crying.

Seeing his mother like this almost made Phineas want to cry. Phineas sighed as he tried to control his emotions. Now wasn't a time to be all wishy-washy, it was a time to be strong.

* * *

><p>Just then, a man with dark hair, shades covering his eyes, a Bluetooth in his left ear, and dressed in a sharp tuxedo came up to them.<p>

"Excuse me," the man addressed Phineas, and the three of them glanced over at him. Immediately, Phineas realized that he did not know this man. "Is this the funeral for Cullen Prowl?"

"Yes, yes it is…why?" Phineas asked, seeing that it was a private funeral. The man just nodded and walked off, talking quietly on the Bluetooth.

"How rude!" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro stated as they watch the man go into one of the rooms.

"I better go check on Linda." Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro said, and walked off.

"Do you know him?" Isabella asked, referring to the rude man.

"Nope." Phineas replied. How odd it was for a man with that sort of attire would be walking around in a funeral home.

When Phineas started to compare the man's attire with everyone else's, that's when he noticed that there were _other_ men dressed like him.  
>A few of them were standing near the doorway, a few standing in formation positions in the funeral home, and a couple more standing around the outside of the funeral home, as well as the parking lot filled with more vehicles than there should be.<p>

"Isabella…" Phineas leaned in and whispered.

"Yes?" she replied in the same manner of tone.

"How many men can you spot with shades?"

Isabella didn't know what Phineas was getting at until she took notice of all of men standing around throughout the building. She immediately knew what Phineas was getting at.

"Phineas, who are they?" Isabella whispered nervously.

"That's what I'm wondering," Phineas uttered back, "I don't know." Phineas's gut was churning, and he had a sense that something was going on without anyone even perceiving it. Phineas motioned for Isabella to follow him, and the two went off to find Ferb.

They found Ferb with Buford, Adyson, Baljeet, and Ginger in the main room, standing in the isle leading up to the Cullen's casket. This was one of the few times that Buford didn't have his gang around with him. The guys all wore suits with black ties, and the girls wore discreet dresses a girl would wear at a funeral.

"Hey you two, where ya both been?" Adyson greeted them.

"Please take a count of how many men with suits and wearing shades are around this place?"

Confused, everyone glanced around, and spotted the sharply dressed men with shades.

"I didn't notice them before, now that you mention it." Buford said.

"Who are they?" asked Ginger.

"Baljeet, do you know who they are?" Phineas inquired quietly.

"Well, judging by their chosen fashion and sunglasses, I would say they are-"

'They're Secret Service men and CIA agents." Ferb interrupted and leaned on the pew's armrest. Everyone looked at Ferb, who just looked at them plainly. Phineas, and probably everyone else, was wondering how he was drawn to that suggestion.

"How do ya know that?" Adyson finally asked.

"I asked them." Ferb answered with a shrug.

"Oh." everyone else said in unison. Just out of the corner of his eye, Phineas spotted a 'Secret Service' man and a 'CIA' agent walking over to them in the isle. Everyone noticed too, and looked at the incoming men. However, instead of stopping to talk to them, the two men walked past them, heading towards the entrance. Phineas glanced around, and noticed that the men with sunglasses weren't lounging around anymore, and were at severe attention as they took places all around Danville Funeral Home.

* * *

><p>"Let's go see what's up." Phineas said, and they all moved after the two men heading towards the front. As they walked, Phineas was ahead of them, so he could see clearly what was going on. The two men opened the two-door entrance and bright sunlight shined in. In the drop off curb in front, Phineas was surprised to see a black limo pull up and park.<p>

"Who invited him?" Buford wondered as they reached the front entrance and were about walk up to the black limo, but five of the suited men stepped in front of them.

"Please keep your distance ladies and gentlemen." the man in the middle ordered them.

"Who are you to stop us?" Adyson demanded.

"And who invited that guy?" Isabella demanded. "This is suppose to be a private funeral."

"Yeah, no uninvited people allowed!" Baljeet declared. Phineas spotted that one of them men started to open the black limo door, and a man in a green suit started to climb out.

"I'm sorry, but you all have to back up a bit or else you will be considered a threat." the man warned.

"Agent Calhorn," a stranger's voice from the limo ordered, "stand down."

The man talking to them turned with an open mouth. Now that the man in green was out, the gang could clearly see who had came. The new man walked up to them, and the other men with shades stepped back, except for 'Agent Calhorn', which the man came up to talk to.

"I can assure you that they kids aren't going to be a threat to me," the man spoke, "so do us a favor, and please stand down." Phineas heard the voice, and tried to think back to where he heard it, but he couldn't remember. Something was nagging in the back of his head, telling him that the voice was familiar, but Phineas didn't know the man from anywhere.

"Yes sir." Agent Calhorn quickly said, and stepped aside, allowing the gang to finally get a full view of the man.

He wore black combat boots, a dark green officer hat with a gold eagle medal pinned in the front of it, dark green slacks, and a murky green suit with a variety of medals pinned on both sides of his chest. The most noticeable medal on him had five silver stars formed in a shape of a pentagon, and a silver star in the middle of the pentagon of stars. What was the most catching was the black eye patch covering his right eye, and stitching scars running down from the top of his nose, and curving around towards his left ear, right across his cheek.

"So…" the man sought to find the right words to say. He towered over most of them, except for Ferb and Buford.

"Um, who are you?" wondered Ginger. The man bit his lower lip.

"I am General Emile 'Ghost' Sanchez, from New York." he enlightened. Phineas remembered the black and white photograph he saw at Cullen's house.

'This must be the guy!' Phineas's mind shouted.

The word '_Ghost_' rang in Phineas's head, but he had no idea or memory of this man. Looking at everyone else, apparently everyone had the same vague feeling, too.

Wait…a general?

Everyone realized that they were standing in front of a high ranking military official.

"I hate to be rude," Baljeet started to say, "but why exactly are you here sir?"

"I was informed that my…comrade…died." General Sanchez stated, "and I wanted to pay my respects."

"I've seen you before." Phineas spoke up.

Everyone glanced at him, and General Sanchez looked at him with his eye, interested in what he had to say.

"Yeah, it was in Cullen's photo, of you and him after your…third mission?" Phineas tried to remember the details.

"Oh…_that_ photo…I remember that...and the mission." General Sanchez said sincerely, "it was the only mission where we didn't loose anyone."

Before anything else could said, a distant boom of thunder from the west caught everyone's attention. They all glanced that way, and saw grey storm clouds slowly edging across the sky towards Danville.

"Well, we better get inside." General Sanchez said, and started to walk past them. The General led the young adults into the funeral home.  
>Phineas couldn't help but stare at the red stitching marks on the General's left side of his face.<p>

"So you're a General…" Adyson started to say.

"General of the Armies, to be correct." General Sanchez corrected as he plucked the pen to sign his signature on the visitor's sign in book.

"Oh, well _excuse_ me." Adyson pardoned.

"It's one of the highest ranks." General Sanchez informed as he signed 'General Emile 'Ghost' Sanchez' on an empty line.

"Excuse me, General Sanchez?" Ginger asked. The General just turned and looked at her with his one eye. "How did you get those stitches on your face?"

"A grenade blew up in my face." General Sanchez replied flatly and went into the main funeral room, leaving the gang wordless.

"Damn…he literally took a grenade to the face and lived," Buford remarked aloud as they watched as General Sanchez went over to the open casket, "he's a badass!"

"Buford, that is highly implausible, because the shrapnel penetration at close range would no doubt kill him." Baljeet shot back.

"He's a badass! Grenades don't kill badasses!" Buford reasoned. While Buford and Baljeet argued over logic and reason, Phineas, Isabella, and Ferb walked into the funeral room.  
>The three made their way over to the open casket, where the General was now looking down at the lifeless body of Cullen Prowl. Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella lined up beside General Sanchez.<p>

Cullen Prowl now laid lifeless on his back, his eyes closed and his lips sealed with a grey plaster that made him look like he had grey lips. His head looked a lot smaller, and his nose was more jagged out now that they preserved his body. The odor of the used embalming fluid was heavy.

Phineas felt a mixture of sorrow and a vague sensation of happiness. Sorrow because Cullen was gone, and a trace of happiness because somehow Phineas knew that Cullen…wasn't suffering anymore.

Isabella started to sniffle, trying her best not to cry. Phineas put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Ferb pulled out a red handkerchief and offered it to Isabella.

"Thanks Ferb." Isabella said and gently took the handkerchief and wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

"He was so talkative…" General Sanchez remarked as he placed his hand on the closed half of the casket covered with a large America flag, "but he could be silent when needed."

"He was a good man." Isabella managed to say without breaking into sobs. Phineas held her in his arm tighter.

"Out of curiosity, how exactly did he die?" General Sanchez inquired quietly.

Phineas was hesitant to explain, but he decided that if this General was Cullen's comrade, he had a right to know.

"They said they don't know how he passed away he just…died." Phineas said, still trying to comprehend that Cullen simply _died_.

"Hmm…" General Sanchez muttered as he pondered to himself. The disbelief in Phineas must have been obvious, because General Sanchez glanced over at him, and then back at Cullen.

"I'll put in a request for the Health Administrative to check out the hospital, if you want." General Sanchez spoke. Phineas was taken aback; the General of the Armies was offering to do him a favor.  
>Something inside him urged him to take the offer, but then something held him back, not wanting the General of the Armies to<p>

"Only if you have the time, sir." Phineas told him. General Sanchez straightened himself up.

"Of course, Flynn." General Sanchez agreed, and walked away. The General mentioning his last name caught Phineas off guard. Since when did he tell the General his last name?

Figuring that the General of the Armies would have some sort of access to names and other information, Phineas left that notion alone.

* * *

><p><strong>(V…IV…)<strong>

About 30 minutes past since General Sanchez's unexpected and uninvited arrival. Although he seemed to be a gentlemen, the General's quietness to Phineas was a beacon of suspicion. Phineas and Ferb were actually near the stain glass window in the front room, having a discussion about the matter, away from the CIA agents and Secret Service men.

"There's something not right about him, Ferb." Phineas told softly to Ferb. His voice was toned down so only the two of them would hear.

Ferb gave him a funny look.

"Well…he doesn't say much." Phineas tried to explain his discomfort.

Ferb gave him an ironic smirk.

"Well you don't talk for a reason," Phineas chuckled, but then turned serious again, "he on the other hand…" Phineas began to trail off. He couldn't find a reason to be against the General, but he felt as if the General was somewhat familiar. If Phineas _had_ known this General Sanchez in the past, he would've known him as a silent, cold hearted, having exceedingly amounts of power, and also being very dangerous.

"Maybe he has his reasons, too." Ferb stated in the same tone as Phineas was using to speak. Phineas sighed in agreement, and turn to glance at the General. General Sanchez was once again standing over Cullen's open casket, looking down at the restful Cullen with his hands awkwardly to the sides.

"Ferb, when he first came, did he seem familiar to you?" Phineas asked as he observed General Sanchez at the casket. Ferb solemnly turned his head and he, too, gazed upon General Sanchez as the man took off his officer cap.

"Yes, yes he did." Ferb answered Phineas question. Phineas felt a relief that he wasn't the only one who had that particular feeling about the General.

Just then, the two heard the sound of a vehicle coming to a halt outside in the front. Both of them turned towards the closed front doors.

"Did you invite anyone?" Phineas asked with subtle urgency.

Ferb silently answered in the same tone, and the two immediately walked to the doors with haste.

* * *

><p><strong>(III…II…)<strong>

When they both opened the doors, they spotted a silver car parked in the drop off zone, and four of the government men surrounding it on all four sides. What was most noticeable was how everything had a faint yellowish gold tinge to it. With the wind blowing harshly, and the dark storm clouds closing in much faster, they could tell a big storm was coming.

The car was a silver Chrysler, and two of the government men opened the doors on both sides to let the driver and rider step out. Trying not to focus too much on the rider's stunning beauty, Phineas made the decision at the split of a second to examine the driver.

The driver was a tall male that wore a black buttoned-up suit with a gold trim, black slacks, a black fedora on his head, and two military emblems on both of his shoulders. He also wore a gold ring on his right hand. The man's appearance was sophisticated like a gentleman, but the way he stood was like a gunslinger's posture. No doubt his suit was custom made, because Phineas didn't know anyone who was stuck out in that much black and gold.

At the same time though, he did, or the back of his mind nagged at him that he did. Just like General Sanchez, this man seemed familiar to Phineas. Maybe it was the black fedora on his head. Although he didn't want to admit it, but there was something about the rider that pointed out that Phineas should've known the rider at some point in his life.

The rider was a woman, a very attractive one. She was dressed in a sleek white dress that outlined her thin body. Her skin was a pale tan, and she looked very slim yet fit at the same time. She carried no purse or any extra items a girl would desire, except the silver necklace that she bared around her neck; a teal sapphire jewel was in the center of it. Her dark hair was grown out to her shoulder length, and her eyes were naturally endearing. She was like a supermodel, but with no makeup of any sort.

Ferb let out a flat whistle.

"Dr. Spinax, sir." one of the CIA agents greeted the man. The doctor gave him a nod as he walked around the car and over to the boys.

"Mrs. Spinax." the same CIA agent greeted the woman, who gave an irritated sigh in response.

"It's 'miss'," she corrected, "I'm his…cousin."

"Sorry, ma'am." the CIA agent apologized. The woman just rolled her eyes. The doctor and woman approached the two step brothers as the CIA agent drove off to park the car.

"You two must be Phineas and Ferb." Dr. Spinax addressed the two as he stood in front of them and held out his hand to Phineas. "I'm Doctor Spinax."

Phineas was hesitant to shake his hand, but finally he grasped it and gave a solid shake.

"I've…heard so much about you two." Dr. Spinax said with a broad smile.

"You have?" Phineas asked in surprise.

"Yes, your exploits are well known throughout the world," Dr. Spinax explained, "they're still talking about both of you in Druelselstein."

"Really?" Phineas wondered, "It's been years since we last went over there."

"Your reputations precede both of you." Dr. Spinax informed. Phineas felt a brief moment of pride on another one of his reputations he had no idea about.

"So what professions do specialize in Doctor?" Phineas asked, now interested in this doctor and hoping to carry on the conversation.

"Oh jeez, please don't get him started." Ms. Spinax cut in before Dr. Spinax could speak. The doctor just rolled his eyes.

"Where are my manners? Phineas, Ferb, this is Trixy Spinax. She's my cousin." Dr. Spinax introduced them to her.

"It's great to finally meet you both." she said as she shook both their hands.

Her voice was young, almost as if she was in her teens; but her physical appearance said otherwise. Phineas noticed that the young adult woman had a firm handshake coming despite having delicate-looking hands.

'Looks can be deceiving.' Phineas's mind thought for a second.

"It's great to meet you Ms. Spinax."

"Oh just call me Trixy." she said.

"Ok Trixy." Phineas replied. Phineas felt a bit brighter on the inside now.

"So…is he really dead?" Trixy finally asked in a weary voice. That question replaced the short joy with compressing gloom. Phineas cleared his throat and stood straight.

"Sadly, yes." Phineas reported. Trixy folded her arms together and hung her head. Dr. Spinax gave an irritated sigh of defeat and took his black fedora into his hands.

Apparently, they too were close friends of Cullen, and the death of him also struck them severely.

A boom of thunder in the close distance interrupted the silence.

"We should get inside." suggested Dr. Spinax; they all silently agreed. Phineas held the door open to let them all in.  
>Once Dr. Spinax reached the door, he held it and subtly motioned with his head for Phineas to go in.<p>

Phineas was greeted with the cool air conditioner and the calm and mournful vibe of the Danville Funeral Home.

Doctor Spinax walked over to the sign in book and simply wrote '_Dr. Spinax_" in a very sharp cursive way. It made all of the other names on the page look sloppy in contrast. Trixy snatched the pen once Dr. Spinax was finished and pushed him over.

"Jeez…" Phineas mumbled in surprise. Dr. Spinax just shrugged his shoulders. It only took a second for Trixy to write her name, which left Phineas puzzled over how fast she could write. After Trixy move, Phineas looked for her signature at the bottom of the list, but his eyes remained glued to the book.

She had only put two letters, a _T_ and an _S_ in a cursive format. Those two initials rung in Phineas's head, and he desperately tried to remember where he had heard those two letters before.

'Well, her name is Trixy Spinax…' Phineas's head figured. That idea brought some peace to Phineas, but a good amount of suspicion remained in his head.

"Ah, it's good to see you both arrived." he heard General Sanchez remark. Phineas glanced up from the sign in book to see General Sanchez with his officer cap tucked under his armpit, and Baljeet standing beside the General. Phineas took one last glance at Trixy's signature, and then left the sign in book alone.

"G…General!" Dr. Spinax exclaimed with a stutter.

"Hello Doctor… and hello...Trixy." General Sanchez greeted the new guests. Then he noted what Doctor Spinax was wearing,

"I see you chose to wear your old uniform with your Lt. Commander Shoulderboards for this occasion, Doctor."

"She made me wear it." Dr. Spinax groaned and motioned at Trixy, who scoffed at the remark.

"You look better in this." Trixy shot back.

"I would've worn my other suit." Dr. Spinax explained to General Sanchez. Phineas suddenly sensed a deep bond between the three adults, a bond formed along time ago. How Phineas knew this, he had no idea.

"I understand, Dr. Spinax." General Sanchez said with a nod. At the mention of 'Dr. Spinax', Baljeet immediately perked up.

"_The_ Dr. Spinax?" Baljeet asked in surprise, now staring bug-eyed at the doctor.

"Yep, that is me." Dr. Spinax replied.

"Oh gosh, it is great to finally meet you!" Baljeet exclaimed as he grabbed and shook Dr. Spinax's hand. "Even though given the unfortunate circumstances, it is great to be face to face with you!"

Phineas was confused at Baljeet's sudden overexcitement, which Baljeet took to notice.

"Do you guys know who Dr. Spinax is?" Baljeet asked. Both Phineas and Ferb shook their heads no. Baljeet exhaled with a groan.

"He's a world-class renowned doctor of anatomy and surgeon." Baljeet flatly explained.

"Oh…really?" Phineas asked, realizing he was standing next to the General of the Armies _and_ a world-famous doctor.

"Yes, I hate to brag, but-"

"He has made breakthroughs medicine and cure treatments," Baljeet interrupted, "and he has written 12 books on medical training, which have been incorporated in health schools and classes worldwide, as well as performing over 200 successful surgeries on all parts of the body!"

"Can I speak without being interrupted?" Dr. Spinax rhetorically asked.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry, Dr. Spinax." Baljeet hastily apologized.

"Forgiven." Dr. Spinax said and took a breath before speaking again. "Everything Baljeet said is true."

"If you're so famous, how did you manage to come here?" Phineas asked, since most famous people were often followed by either paparazzi or fans. Then again, famous doctors could be a whole different level.

"It took a lot of arrangements and altered schedules." Dr. Spinax simply put it.

"Agreed." General Sanchez added. Trixy stepped forward and headed into the main funeral room, wanting to see the open casket of Cullen. General Sanchez and Dr. Spinax exchanged glances, and then they both walked after Trixy. Ferb also followed, except with intentions of comforting his step-mother.

* * *

><p><strong>(I…O…)<strong>

Now Phineas and Baljeet were all that were left in the front room, except for the positioned CIA and SS men.

"What' a famous doctor like him doing here?" Phineas wondered to Baljeet. There was a long second of silence. There was the crack of thunder that erupted from the sky above the building, which caused the entire funeral home to vibrate. The dark clouds had reached them, and rain had begun to pour down. Once the thunder died down, Baljeet had his answer.

"I do not know." Baljeet admitted. This answer left Phineas baffled for a few moments; Baljeet knew and retained just about everything.

"Phineas, I do not know how, but I think I know those three from somewhere." Baljeet admitted.

"That makes you, Ferb, and me." Phineas added.

"Oh good," Baljeet said relieved, "I thought I was the only-"

_CAWW!_

"Aaahh!" Baljeet cried and as the two jumped back.

"Holy shoot!" Phineas exclaimed quietly, trying not to cuss in a funeral home.

The sudden loud bird screech startled both the boys, and a small, dark silhouette swooped right past them towards the right. Phineas glanced at the direction where the silhouette swooshed over to. A tall shadow was leaning his back on the doorframe; his long black hair drooping down under his white officer cap that he wore.

Just past his head were a pair of two beady eyes reflected from the light; those same eyes of the raven that he saw outside of Cullen's house the afternoon before he died.

"Baljeet, look." Phineas instructed quickly and tried to get Baljeet to stop cowering. Phineas glanced back, but instead saw a familiar man walking towards him. He was dressed in a dark blue dress shirt with a few medals and emblems. Two pins of some sort pinned to his collar. Dark blue slacks. Black gloves on his hands. Also the exact same kind of black combat boots General Emile was wearing. The oddest thing about him was that on his right shoulder was a live perched raven. As soon as Phineas saw his face, he remembered who this person was. Besides, he had only met him a few months back.

"Nick!" Phineas exclaimed and walked over to him.

"Hello Phineas." Nick said in the same sort of voice he had used when Phineas first met him.

"You know this man?" Baljeet asked as he cautiously came over.

"Yeah, I met him with Cullen before we came back to Danville." Phineas explained.

The raven on Nick's shoulder idly scratched its beak with its talons. Baljeet and Phineas wearily eyed the bird, who only continued to scratch its beak. Nick saw them stare at the raven.

"This is Dust, he's my pet raven." Nick explained. The raven, Dust, stopped scratching its beak and ruffled up its feathers and let out a low caw to the boys.

"Nice to meet you, Dust." Phineas said cheerfully. Baljeet didn't say anything at all. Nick just glanced at Dust, who slightly tilted its head towards Nick. The next second, Dust had spread his wings, pushed off of Nick's shoulder, and flew off somewhere.

"Are you worried about where he is flying to?" Baljeet asked as the raven flew off into the room where the funeral was being held, flying towards the casket.

"He'll be fine." Nick assured, but then directed his attention to the main matter. "So, Cullen is dead…"

"Yes," Phineas answered sadly, "he died two days ago."

"Unfortunate." Nick remarked grimly.

He glanced over towards the main room, and spotted some people he had known. Or at least that's what Phineas thought, because Nick was staring towards the casket for a few moments.

"Who are those three over there?" Nick inquired, and motioned with his chin towards the three. Phineas looked at who he was pointing out, and saw the three he meant.

"That is the General of the Armies, Emile Sanchez, the other man is Dr. Spinax, and the woman is Trixy Spinax."

"Married?" Nick asked in surprised.

"No, she said they were cousins." Phineas corrected. Nick let out a low chuckle.

"I better get over there." Nick stated, and walked into the main room, heading over to the three adults. Phineas and Baljeet watched him go.

"Suspicious." Baljeet mumbled under his breath. Phineas glanced at him with confusion as they walked into the main room and started to go down the isle of pews.

"What is?" Phineas wondered.

"All of them, except for Trixy, are military based," Baljeet spoke his insights, "and although they may be friends of Cullen, I have a feeling I have met them before."

Phineas considered it over for a moment, but was only comprehending half of what Baljeet was telling.

"Your point?" Phineas asked.

"I just have my suspicions, that is all." Baljeet sighed hopelessly.

Ginger, Adyson, and Isabella, Jeremy holding Amanda, and Candace approached them before they knew it.

"Phineas, who's the guy with the raven?" Jeremy asked.

"He's Nick," Phineas told Jeremy, "he's a friend of Cullen that we met on the way back to Danville."

"Why does he have a pet raven?" Ginger wondered.

"And why do I get an ominous feeling about him?" Adyson interrupted Phineas before he could speak.

"You are not the only one." Baljeet added. Phineas's mind clicked when he heard Baljeet's remark, figuring out why Baljeet was suspicious.

"The raven's name is 'Dust'." Phineas explained.

"_That_ just makes it more weird." Ginger pointed out.

"Birdie!" Amanda giggled as she pointed up. Everyone quickly glanced at where she was pointing, and suddenly saw the black raven diving down at them.

_CAWW!_

Everyone gasped or panicked as they ducked down, and the raven arched up and flew away. Phineas glanced at where the raven flew off to, and saw that the raven flapped its wings to a stop over Cullen's casket, standing on the opening and peering down at Cullen's body.

"That bird better not do what I think it's doing." Phineas warned as they all got back up. Dust the raven was looking down at Cullen's dead body, and twitched its head as if it was trying to figure something out. Phineas was still cautious of the bird trying to peck at Cullen's dead body. A few seconds passed, and the bird didn't, much to Phineas's relief.

"I'm gonna kill that bird if it tries it again." Adyson growled. Amanda was the only one laughing.

"Again!" Amanda cheered loudly.

"Oh no no no no dear," Candace quickly denied, "if that bird comes closer again, I'm gonna tell that Nick to put him on a leash." Amanda only laughed with her cheerful voice.

"Phineas, are there any more unexpected guests coming?" Jeremy wondered. At that moment, a Secret Service man rushed passed them and headed towards General Emile.

"Sir, she's here." they barely heard the Secret Service man inform the General, since Candace was trying to hush Amanda. General Emile nodded, and then all four of them guests walked slowly from the casket and down the isle of pews. The gang let the three men and women pass by, and all silently deciding, they followed right behind them.

The huge group quickly rushed into the front room and to the front door. Why were they all hurrying, Phineas had no idea, but he felt the tension in the air as well as his curiosity to what was going on.

* * *

><p><strong>({}.O) ({}.{}) (\\O.O/\/) (_O.O_)**

Two CIA agents opened the big front doors, and a gush of cold wind blew into the Danville Funeral Home, almost blowing everyone back but the four people in front of them. When the wind died down, Phineas looked to see who had arrived.

Another woman stood in the middle of the opening. Rain was drizzling behind her as she stepped into the funeral home.

The woman looked a bit older but she still had a visible touch of sophisticated beauty, as well as a natural profound brown color hair that grew pasts her shoulders. She wore tinted glasses with oval shaped lenses and a grey dress just like Trixy's. Phineas could see in her brown eyes that tears were on the verge of pouring out. The rain behind her kept drizzling down, and a distant thunder boom echoed in the distance.

The woman approached them, and General Emile took a single step forward from the group and met the woman face to face, or would have if she was his height. She was just about as tall as Isabella, making General Emile a full head length over her. The woman tried her best to smile.

"Emile…" she sniveled, and leaned forward onto General Emile. He embraced her, and her head was buried into his chest area of his uniform.  
>Soft sobs escaped from the woman as she let her tears flow out on the General's uniform.<p>

Phineas figured that the General would remove her to keep her from ruining his suit with her tears, but to a surprise, the General did nothing.

"Is he…really dead…Emile?" the woman managed to say with her hesitant voice between sobs. Her voice was soothing, despite herself crying.

"Yes, Maya." Emile answered quietly. The woman, Maya, only continued to quietly cry in General Emile's uniform. Nick step forward and placed a gloved hand on Maya's shoulder, which seemed to sort of calm her down a little bit. Then, Dr. Spinax turned and recognized that there was an assembled group behind them.

"Could we have a moment, please?" Dr. Spinax requested polite and sincere.

Everyone agreed aloud, and immediately returned to the main room. Phineas couldn't help but feel sorry for Maya.

"Phineas?" Isabella started to ask, "how many people did Cullen know?"

"I really have no idea now…" Phineas replied hoarsely, and glanced back at where they had left the five others. Maya was still crying in Ghost's grip.  
>Now Trixy, Dr. Spinax, and Nick had gathered around her to try and comfort him.<p>

Inside, Phineas wondered how Cullen knew Maya. Judging by the way she was pouring out her tears, he must've been important in her life. Unlike the other guests, Phineas had no vague feeling about meeting her sometime in the past; Maya was a stranger to him. However, seeing her like this made it the first time Phineas pitied a stranger.

* * *

><p><strong>(…,,,…,,,)<strong>

The recording of bagpipes playing 'Amazing Grace' softly died down over the speakers in the main room, and everyone had already taken their seats. Phineas and his family sat in the front right pew. His mother had calmed down and stopped uncontrollably sobbing, thanks to the help of her husband, Lawrence, and Amanda had suddenly became silent as she sat in between her mother and father, Candace and Jeremy. Ferb had leaned back and closed his eyes, and Phineas himself was waiting, staring at the floor covered in soft green carpet. Usually, impatience would overtake him at this time, but something had overpowered. Perhaps it was the sense of reverence he had for Cullen, or it was something else completely; either way, Phineas patiently waited.

He glanced over across the isle to the front left pew. From his viewpoint, he could see General Emile sitting at the end of the pew, right next to a sorrowful Trixy who folded her hands in her lap. Dr. Spinax was sitting to the left of her, his elbows resting on his knees. Phineas had noticed that the doctor's black fedora was now a black officer cap. Puzzled, Phineas tried to remember when the Doctor had brought the officer cap; he couldn't recall the memory. He was even more frustrated; it seemed he couldn't remember anything today.

Maya had finally controlled her tears and was attentively paying attention to the casket. She had remained quiet most of her stay here, with the occasional mumble Phineas managed to hear once in awhile. Nick was quietly sitting next to Maya, with Dust sitting on his shoulder. Nick and Dr. Spinax had removed their officer caps, while General Emile kept his on.

It felt strange to Phineas that he was able to take accurate note of the details around him in a time like this.

Before anymore silence could settle, General Emile rose from his pew, stepped into the isle, and walked up to the podium surrounded by flowers. The General looked a little off as he stood at the podium. It was either his eye patch on his right eye, or the stitchings around his left eye. General Emile took out a sheet of paper from his pocket, and wasted no time in beginning.

"We are here today, because our friend is dead." General Emile bluntly stated as he read off the paper. This threw everyone off, since Phineas never knew of a funeral that started out like this. If General Emile caught drift of the unspoken disorder, he showed no sign of it.

"Cullen and I…had a unique bond," General Emile continued, "we were never friends…"

Again, the General's eulogy kept throwing Phineas off. He had a very tiny urge to stop the General's eulogy, but Phineas wanted to see where the General was going with his…blunt words.

"We were 'comrades', as he called it..." General Emile carried on. Phineas breathed a low sighed of relief. "Cullen had almost the exact opposite of me in personality. He was chatty, I wasn't. He was reluctant, I wasn't. He was also very jittery, I wasn't." The group in the front left pew had a few quiet laughs. Phineas clearly did not get the joke.

"The 'comradeship' was mutual between us. 'Friends' _love_ to hang around each other and _talk_ about whatever." General Emile explained in a serious tone, "Cullen and I never did that."

For some reason, Phineas found himself and a majority of the invited guests laughing quietly. He even saw that his mom had raised her head up and had a soft smile on her face.

"If there's one thing I can say about Cullen, it's that we will never forget him." the General stated flatly, looking up from the paper. Phineas smiled as he wondered if that statement was a good thing, or a bad thing.

"He's quite a talker." Phineas heard Isabella's voice whisper into his ear from behind. Phineas glanced back at her.

"Yeah, but he's so frank." Phineas whispered back.

"I never was a man of words…" General Emile started to say. Phineas immediately related those words to Ferb. "But Cullen once told me 'actions speak louder than words'. Because Cullen was the most loyal person I've known, his actions were just as good as his word."

General Emile paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"Cullen was a good man…he was always willing to sacrifice his life for another." General Emile summarized.

Phineas thought about those words, and woefully remembered why he was alive and sitting in the pew, and why Cullen was in a casket a few meters in front of him. Cullen's actions saved him, and Phineas had ever since felt that he was in debt to him. Now with Cullen gone, however, Phineas felt as if he would never be able to return the favor that Cullen did. A life for a life.

It was a distressing feeling of helplessness that Phineas felt.

"A loyal, blabbering, support soldier…a good-natured punk…a religious biker leader," General Emile finished up, he took the paper, crinkled it in his hand and sighed, "And one of the best comrades I ever had."

The sound of rain showering down on the funeral home was the only thing that punctuated the silence in the room. Phineas waited patiently for something to happen, but even if something didn't, he still wouldn't know what to do. Finally, Dust flapped his wings and flew over to and perched himself on the edge of the podium and twitched his head in every direction. Nick picked up his officer cap and stood reverently. General Emile turned in Nick's direction and gave a single nod. Both of them moved at the same time, General Emile back to his seat, and Nick up to the podium.

Nick set his officer cap on the podium, and Dust flapped its wings and took off.

* * *

><p>"I hope everyone paid attention to that speech," Nick started out, "that was the first speech in his life."<p>

There was a murmur of laughter that followed. Phineas's eyes darted at the General, who wasn't laughing, nor was he fazed by the joke. Nick then ceased to smile and became serious. There was a flapping noise, and then a dark object landed on the armrest next to Phineas on his left. Phineas lurched to his right, pushing his back into Ferb, and saw what had landed on the armrest.

Dust twitched his head in Phineas's direction, stared at him for a second, and then glanced up towards Nick. Nervous about the raven, Phineas slowly scooted back in his original spot. Phineas felt a subtle cold breeze nip at his neck, but shook it off as he paid attention to Nick's already started eulogy.

"…he was a peculiar sorta person," Nick enlightened, "he always ran the Souls biker gang according to a policy. I thought it was ridiculous idea, but his gang enjoyed it. Cullen was always a man of codes, using clue and references that only few would understand."

Phineas took the time to consider what Nick said about Cullen.

He remembered back to all of the times he spent with him, and all of the people that somehow knew Cullen from the past.

Even though Phineas had known Cullen almost his whole life now, he still hardly knew about Cullen's past life. All he knew was what he pieced together: he had a military career, and then was a biker gang leader.

Figuring that he should listen to what Nick was saying, maybe he could unearth some further information on Cullen's life.

"Before I step off this podium, most of us in this room know how it feels to loose someone important," Phineas mind registered what Nick was saying, and realized that Nick was at the end of his eulogy. Phineas mentally cursed at himself for not paying attention and listened to what Nick had left to say. He made a mental note to ask Nick after the funeral.

"When we loose them, it is hard to believe that they are gone. What I believe, and I know a lotta others do, too, is that when we die our souls leave our bodies. Once they do, they go to where they deserve to go. Of course we pray for them to be in Heaven, but it really isn't our choice."

It took Phineas to realize that Nick was referring to God. The thought of God never really crossed Phineas's mind in his life, but now with Cullen dead…

"I do, however, know that Cullen is in the place where he belongs now." Nick finished up.

As soon as he finished, Dust flapped his wings, giving a slight gust of wind at Phineas, flew over and landed on Nick's shoulder.

Nick's eulogy felt short, but somehow it also felt as if he used the right amount of words.

* * *

><p>Nick picked up his headwear quickly walked back to his seat next to Maya, and another blanket of silence coated the room. A sharp crack of thunder shattered the silence. General Emile stood and motioned the others to stand. Nick and Dr. Spinax slowly rose, putting their officer caps on as they did so. Phineas spotted motion out of the corner of his eye, and glanced behind him. Coming down the isle of pews, three Secret Service men were walking, each carrying a silver steel case, while one also held a trumpet.<p>

Nick and Dr. Spinax each took a corner of the American flag that laid on the closed part of the casket while General Emile stood in the middle a few feet away. The three Secret Service men came to a stop behind the General as Nick and Dr. Spinax carefully folded the flag into a triangle. Dust flew off of Nick's shoulder as they proceeded with the final folds. Both Dr. Spinax and Nick looked like noble military officers. From the medals and pins, Dr. Spinax was in the Navy, and judging from Nick's collar pins, he was in the Marines. Except there was something off about Nick's pin emblems; the design was off.

"Is this a 21 Gun Salute?" Baljeet whispered for someone to answer.

"Yes lad, Cullen was in the U.S. military," Lawrence answered Baljeet in a matched tone, "and here in America, the military sends them out with a bang."

"Is not the 21 Gun Salute only for high ranking officers?" Baljeet added. Lawrence thought this over.

"Hmm, I actually don't know." Lawrence admitted.

"Well I guess we'll have to count the shots." Buford added to the conversation. Phineas wordlessly agreed to Buford's proposal.

"If they have three guns, wouldn't they have to fire seven times?" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro asked.

"Let's see…three times seven is…" Buford was doing the math in his head.

"Yes, they would have to fire seven times." Baljeet answered in an instant, much to Buford's irritation.

Once Dr. Spinax and Nick finished folding the flag into a triangle, they both stood aside to allow General Emile a clear view of the open casket. Dr. Spinax held the triangular folded flag in his hand as he walked over to Linda and Lawrence. Phineas watched as Dr. Spinax gave the flag to Linda.

"Keep it safe." he heard Dr. Spinax whisper aloud to both of them. Lawrence nodded his head, and Linda clutched the folded flag closer to her. Again, Phineas felt the urge to cry, but held it in, and instead his eyes began to water up. A handkerchief came into view, which Phineas instinctively took. As he wiped the excess tears from his eyes, he glanced over to see who had offered the handkerchief; it was Ferb.

"Thanks bro." Phineas croaked, feeling grief constrict his chest and heart. Phineas also felt Isabella's soft hand press on his shoulder, quietly indicating that she was there for him. Dr. Spinax had already moved back to the casket and stood across from Nick.

When General Emile lowered his hand from his salute, he straightened his posture and turned around to the three Secret Service men. The men presented the cases and opened them. Phineas couldn't get a clear view from where he sat, so he tried to crane his head to se the contents of the cases. He didn't have to crane his head any longer, and wished he had not, for General Emile pulled out of the case a small yet very deadly black rifle. The sight of the gun spiked Phineas's heart and made him fully acute.

General Emile handed the rifle to Nick, who gracefully took it. The General opened the next case, and proceeded with giving Dr. Spinax a rifle. General Emile took his rifle, and held it across his chest.

"What kinda rifles are those?" Buford whispered to anyone willing to answer.

"Those are AR-15 rifles," Phineas heard Lawrence start to explain, "they use 5.56 caliber rounds, they're also gas operated, air cooled, and usually semi automatic."

The young adults and teenagers all just stared at Lawrence.

Phineas, Ferb, and Candace were especially speechless at what their step-father knew.

"Although I think the military uses fully automatic ones." Lawrence added. He glanced around and found everyone but his wife and Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro staring at him in shock.

"What?" Lawrence wondered. Shrugging off the shocked stares at him, Lawrence focused back on the service.

* * *

><p>General Emile, Nick, and Dr. Spinax aligned and faced at the direction of the door on the left side of the room, the one that lead outside. It was still pouring down rain, but if that factor bothered them, none of the three displayed their discontent.<p>

"Are they really going to go out in the rain?" Ginger wondered. The three armed men started marching to the left door. Phineas felt a mixture of doubt and incredible luck that he was seeing this happen.

"I think so." Phineas answered back, his eyes glued on the three men as they reached the door. Dust flew off of Nick's shoulder and flew away, while each man carried their AR-15 pointing up on their right shoulder. With no hesitation, General Emile's open hand shot out and opened one of the two doors. Immediately, a flurry of air swept through the room, along with an immense amount of rain. Phineas felt bits of the cold rain pelt against his face, as well as the wind blowing through his hair.

Nevertheless, the three men being blasted by the wind and rain marched forward, out into the storm. A few of the flowers that were step up were knocked aside by the wind blowing into the funeral home, but nobody did anything to set them back up. Phineas watched with all of his attention as General Emile, Nick, and Dr. Spinax formed a line, shoulder to shoulder with General Emile on the left end and Dr. Spinax on the other. Phineas noticed that Maya and Trixy were leaning over their pews to get a better view of what was going on outside.

"A-tten…shun!" Phineas heard General Emile's voice bark over the roaring winds. It was loud enough to send a vibe of awareness in Phineas's head. The three men sharply turned on their heels and faced in the direction of the front of the Danville Funeral Home.

"Pre-sent…arms!" the General's voice hollered over the thunder. Each of the three men hefted the rifles across their shoulders, pointing up and towards the roof of the building.

"Ready…aim…" Phineas heard the General bark. Phineas knew was what coming next, and braced his ears for the incoming noise.

"Fire!"

_POOWW!_

The gunshot rang in everyone's ears. Isabella gripped Phineas's shoulder out of surprise. Phineas felt every last bit of vague feelings lurch out of him as if the gunshots had awaken him from sleep.

"Set…fire!" the General ordered again. Phineas didn't even have time to brace himself again.

_POOWW!_

The sound of the guns going off reminded Phineas how the M9 pistol sounded when it went off in the alleyway and the sick _whump_ noise as it hit Cullen. In hindsight, it was nowhere near as sounding so loud and dangerous than the rifles right now.

"Set…fire!"

_POOWW!_

Right after the shots, a flash of lighting illuminated the place, and followed with an explosion of ear piercing thunder. Phineas looked at the three military men. Each of them showed a different expression, but none were unfazed by the weather. In fact, Phineas managed to get a glimpse of anger in one of their faces. The wind blew strong, and their uniforms were getting soaked, but for some reason, their officer hats were staying put on their heads. Odd.

"Set…fire!"

_POOWW!_

As the service went on, Phineas slowly turned his head and stared at Cullen's casket. As he tried his best to ignore the shots firing outside, Phineas had a lot on his mind. What would Cullen say about this funeral? Was everything as Cullen would've wanted? Did he have anything else he wanted to do before he died? If what Nick said about their being souls, where was Cullen's soul now? All of those questions flashed through his mind in an instant.

"Set…fire!"

_POOWW!_

Phineas picked up a bit more ferocity and infuriation in the General's voice. One question, however, spoke out the most from all of the questions in Phineas's head: With Cullen gone, what now?

"Set…fire!"

_POOWW!_

"Set…fire!"

_POOWW!_

The sound of the trumpet in the storm followed soon after.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER THAT NIGHT...<strong>

_How is he…?_

_He's fine…especially now he's in…_

_They've grown up so fast!_

_As well as…everyone knows…_

_What now? With nobody able to watch over them…_

_Maya, they'll be okay, they're almost legal adults!_

_Phineas IS a legal adult…_

_I think that it is time for them…without us…we would only get in th-_

_True, very true._

Silence.

_How are the kids handling this?_

_They're still coping with the fact that he's dead. Mark is trying to be strong, and Trent is doing…_

_You know he shouldn't be messing…_

_Give him credit, Death, he just lost his father._

_If it helps, Maya, I got a recording of the ceremony for them to keep._

_Thanks..._

_You had to make it rain!_

_My presence only intensified the atmosphere…  
><em>_  
>I still wished there were chili-<em>

…_all… think about?_

…_made me wear…I wanted to wear my armor!_

_Pipe it down…two of you need…_

_Always serious. _

_Well what now?_

…_have to move on with our lives in this…_

_Hey wait, is this...secure?_

_Yes I'm…wait..._

_What?_

_There's somebody listening._

A dark shadow appeared.

"Oh, it's you, Phineas." a deep, calm, ominous voice said.

_How did he…_

_You know how these…his lucky chance._

_Will he..._

_No, I highly doubt it._

_Hey…!_

…_can't do that!_

_Aw come on, just this once?_

_No…secure this…_

_Already doing so…see ya, Flynn._

* * *

><p>(…,,,…,,,)<p>

Phineas's opened his eyes and stared up at the dark ceiling.

'A dream.' Phineas's groggy mind registered. For some reason, his heart was pounding in his chest; it felt like he had reached the end of a rollercoaster. Phineas tried to remember what had been said in the dream, but the more he thought about it, the more the memory started to fade. The voices in the dream sounded so familiar, and he attempted to remember whose they were, but his already tired mind was too weak to do so. Drowsily, Phineas turned his head and checked the alarm clock.

There, in slim teal glow, displayed the digits and symbols: 3:35 A.M.

'Damn it.' Phineas muttered in his mind as he slowly went back to sleep. There was a vague hope that he could try to enter the dream again and listen to what the familiar voices were saying.

The funeral yesterday had left him exhausted. He couldn't quite remember the exact details, but he was sure that he would remember in the morning. With a sigh to calm his accelerating heartbeat down, Phineas went back into his comfortable sleep.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Yea…it is officially Summer Vacation in Texas…and I have a lot of time now. I hope this was satisfying to those who are still reading. Leave a review if you would like. I actually did find this a bit difficult to make, but I came through. If you have any questions, leave them in the review. Thank you. <strong>


	16. The Birthday

**Author's Note: I knew I had forgotten to mention something in the last chapter! The funeral idea and details were based off of my grandpa's funeral about several months back. So yea…here's another chapter for yall to enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Birthday<strong>

"Can I look now?" Isabella pleaded as Phineas escorted her around. She had a blindfold on and couldn't see where she was walking, but she trusted Phineas and was not at all worried. She was, however, very curious at where he was leading her.

"Not yet." Phineas answered as he gently pushed her shoulders from behind.  
>Isabella felt Phineas rush past her and open a door, a door that sounded a lot like her own front door.<p>

"Are we taking me into my house?" Isabella wondered.

"Yep."

Isabella's eyes blinked behind the blindfold.

"Why?" she asked.

"You'll see." was all that Phineas said as he guided her into the house.

His answer left her even more curious. Isabella felt the brisk outside air shift into the filtered house air, and she was now walking in her own hallway. Obviously, she knew her house from bottom to top, so when Phineas stopped, Isabella knew they were standing in front of her dining room.

"Ok, you can take off the blindfold." Phineas instructed. Quickly, Isabella reached up and pulled down the purple bandana that covered her eyes. She immediately saw a bunch of light colors, and a lot of people standing around. She felt her heart jolt.

"Surprise!" all of the people exclaimed in no unison at all. In the middle of the 'surprise', a camera light flashed, temporary stunning her eyes. It took Isabella a moment to recognize who everyone was.

"Aw come on!" Isabella heard Django's voice groan as other people started to laugh, "Let's try that again; Phineas take her back outside! Forget we were here!" Both Phineas and Isabella laughed at his remark.

"Izza!" Vivian exclaimed and rushed forward.

"Mom!" Isabella pipe up as her mother wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Feliz cumpleaños Isabella!" Vivian said to her daughter.

"Gracias mama." Isabella replied back as they hugged.

There was another flash of the camera, which flared in Phineas's eyes. When it became clear again, Phineas saw who was using the camera: Irving. He was the photographer 'hired' for the party. When Phineas asked him if he could hire him, Irving said that he would do it for free.

"Ok, on the count of three this time," Django instructed, "one, two, three!"

"Happy birthday Isabella!" everyone exclaimed together. They all burst into cheers and applauds after that, both over the fact that it was Isabella's birthday, and that they all managed to say 'happy birthday' at the same time. Isabella managed to break from her mother's arms, and stood before the crowd that coped with the cram space of her dining room.

"Whose idea was this?" Isabella asked them all.

"Mine!" both Adyson and Django replied at the same time.

"Ok fine, you." Adyson admitted.

"Nah I was just kidding, it was Baljeet." Django pointed out.

"What!" Baljeet shouted.

"No dude, it was clearly Ferb." Buford stated. Everyone turned to Ferb, who looked back at everyone. He then pointed to Irving.

"What! I'm just doing what Phineas told me to do." Irving explained, holding up his camera.

"It was Phineas's idea!" Django suddenly declared.

"Wha?" was all Phineas could say. Everyone simultaneously agreed that this whole surprise party was Phineas's idea. Isabella giggled at Phineas's expression.

"Iza-bella!" an unfamiliar voice with a Hispanic in the back happily exclaimed. Isabella gasped at the sound, and a man tried to push his way forth through the crowd.

"Uncle Monroe!" Isabella exclaimed as she hugged the man. The man was about her height, and he had a dusty looking attire.

"I'm not the only one who wanted to see you on your birthday." he said as he broke away from their hug and gestured back. Phineas saw young kids and toddlers he was unfamiliar with making their way to Isabella. Phineas took an educated guess that they were Isabella's family, seeing that Isabella greeted them with open arms.

"It's great to see all of you again!" Isabella joyfully told them as they all surrounded her and each tried to give her a hug. Isabella was being overwhelmed with greetings and hugs from every direction.

"Ok, scram everybody, give the chica some space." Uncle Monroe instructed, and all of her relatives took a step back. "Ok, I know who your friends back there are," Monroe said as he pointed behind his head with his thumb to Ferb, Adyson, Buford, and the rest of their friends, and then he pointed at Phineas "but who's the guy standing here with the red hair?"

Phineas found all of Isabella's relatives looking at him now. Phineas mentally debated whether he should tell the truth or just make something up completely.

"I'm-" Phineas started to speak.

"This is Phineas Flynn, he's my boyfriend." Isabella interrupted before he could say anything. Isabella's girl relatives all giggled, while the boys said nothing; except for Uncle Monroe, who started to inspect Phineas from head to toe. Phineas felt the trill of fear of disapproval. The last thing he wanted to do was be hated by Isabella's family.

"So…you're my niece's boyfriend?" Uncle Monroe questioned, scratching his chin hair as he gave Phineas a quizzical stare. Phineas felt his heart race and his mind hastily find the right words to leave a good impression.

"Yes," Phineas answered with a simple nod and smile, "yes I am." Phineas waited to see what he would ask next, but Uncle Monroe said nothing, and resulted with the two of them exchanging stares for a few seconds.

"Mi gusta Monroe, you and your questions!" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro exclaimed as she put a hand on Phineas's left shoulder. "Phineas here is a good boy, right Phineas?"

"Hah! Not with _that _kinda reputation!" Buford shot back. Phineas just rolled his eyes and glanced over at Buford.

"Again with the reputation!" Phineas exclaimed, "Why don't I know anything about this?"

"So what kind of reputation do you have chico?" Uncle Monroe resumed questioning with traces of suspicion in his voice.

"Oh hermano, you can ask him later," Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro declared, "this is Izza's birthday party!" Everyone erupted in cheers, causing Isabella to form a big grin on her face. Uncle Monroe gave an considerate nod and slowly backed up, seeming to disappear in the crowd of guests. Phineas felt the tension relieve him as he returned his attention back to the festivities.

**(…,,,…,,,)**

* * *

><p>"…<em>Happy birthday toooooo yooouuu<em>!" everyone sang to Isabella. Isabella had sat down in front of the pink birthday cake with 18 burning candles.

"Make a wish Izza!" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro said as she held up a camera. Isabella glanced around at everyone with a big smile before she blew out the candles. There was a flash from the camera, and everyone burst into cheers. Everyone's voices were all jumbled together in appraisals. Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro set down the camera on an empty spot on the table, and carefully handed the cake knife to Isabella.

"So who gets the first slice?" Isabella asked everyone as she started to cut into her vanilla cake with pink icing and swirls that spelled her name. For a long time, Phineas had always wondered if the host was suppose to serve the guests first or vice versa. Different occasions call for certain kinds of courtesies.

"It's your birthday Isabella, you get the first slice!" Katie stated.  
>Phineas glanced around and took a rough count of all the people in the room. There was him, Ferb, Buford, Django, Baljeet, Irving, all of the Fireside Girls in Troop 46231, and all of Isabella's family. Phineas mentally wondered if there was going to be enough cake for everyone. Staring at the cake as Isabella began to slice into it, Phineas tried to calculate the measurements of which to distribute equal slices for everyone.<p>

Phineas felt a slight ting of pain in his brain and winced. Phineas thought that something was wrong with his head and should go get it checked out. Putting the thought aside, Phineas quickly tried to do the calculations again, and the pain in his head intensified.

Then it hit him. Phineas realized how long ago it had been since he made a precise calculation.

"Phineas, you want a slice?" he heard Isabella ask. Phineas snapped out of his daze and glanced at the cake slice that Isabella was offering him.  
>Phineas felt stupid for neglecting what was going on around him and wondered how long she had been offering the paper plate with the cake slice.<p>

"Oh yes," Phineas replied as he grabbed the plate with his fingers and fumbled to get a plastic fork, "thanks Isabella."

Phineas took the plate and his fork and maneuvered his way over to the living room, which already had some people lounging around as they ate their cake slice. Luckily, Phineas spotted an empty cushion on the couch and plopped himself down. Once he was settled, he started to eat his cake.

The vanilla cake tasted so good with the icing, despite the icing was rather fattening. Phineas' mind continued to ponder as he quietly stared off into space and ate his cake.

'Was the icing the only thing that made cakes tasty?' Phineas silently asked himself. He then tried to think back to when he had some cake, but then solemnly remembered the slice of delicious chocolate cake he had with Cullen before the incident. That cake, too, had frosting on it.

Before Phineas could continue his thinking, a body mass lumbered out of the corner of his left eye. Phineas glanced to see who it was, and found Ferb looking down at him, holding his own of cake slice on a plate.

Ferb motioned with his head to the open cushion to the right of Phineas.

"Oh sure, right here bro." Phineas said and patted the spot next to him. He leaned back to let Ferb pass over and the two were then sitting on the couch eating their cake. Phineas' posture was leaning forward while Ferb's was straight.

"Hey Ferb, what do you think of the cake?" Phineas managed to say as he ate. Ferb gave a thumbs up before he forked another bit of the desert and swirled it around in the icing. Isabella's cousins were finishing devouring their cake slices, and now were running throughout the house, playing tag.

One of the girls came to a halt in front of Phineas and Ferb, trying her best to maintain her breath. She wore a purple string of ribbon in her hair, and judging from how she looked, she was roughly 11 or 12 years old.

"Isabella's novio? Can I ask you a question?" she wondered as she teetered on her tip toes and her hands behind her back. Phineas pondered at who she was talking to, but then figured out since he was now in a relationship with Isabella, she probably meant him.

"Yeah sure, what'cha thinkin'?" Phineas asked, using Isabella's favorite words. Ferb took another bite of his cake slice and started to idly swallow.

"Are you two gay?" the girl flat out asked. When the two step-brothers heard the question, they almost reacted simultaneously.  
>Phineas was at a loss of words and was gawking at the girl in shock. Ferb immediately coughed and spit out the cake he was chewing.<p>

"Ew! Gross!" cried the girl when she saw Ferb's spit out cake.

"By what do you mean by 'gay'?" Phineas asked, hoping she meant the other meaning of the word.

"Gay as in: when two of the same gender like each other." she explained carefully as she could.

"You know we're step-brothers, right?" Phineas reasoned cautiously.

"Yea, I know." the girl simply replied. In response, Ferb just got up from the couch, and walked out of the living room, leaving Phineas to deal with the curious girl.  
>Phineas just shook his head and exhaled.<p>

"No, we are not gay." Phineas answered. The little girl thought over the answer for a moment.

"Ok!" she piped up and ran off to rejoin the game of tag. Phineas felt as if pressure had been removed from his chest and he was left in a bewildered expression.

'Did that just happen?' Phineas's mind thought, trying to register the events that took place a few seconds ago. He glanced over at the hallway and spotted the same little girl chasing after the rest of the kids, then back at the spot where she was standing.

'She did just ask that question!' Phineas's mind comprehended. Phineas got off the couch and swiftly made his way into the dining room.

Sure enough, Isabella was in the room with the young adult Fireside Girls, eating their cakes. It felt imprudent to pull Isabella away from the group, but his nagging curiosity got the better of him.

"Isabella?" Phineas asked as he approached. Simultaneously, all the girls ceased their conversation and looked at Phineas. He ignored them and focused on Isabella, who was turning around to see him.

"Oh, yes Phineas?" Isabella replied back.

"Can I talk to you a second?" Phineas requested as he put his paper plate on the table.

"Sure, what's up?" Isabella asked. Phineas was hesitant to tell, since all of the other girls were remaining silent and listening.

"In private?" Phineas added. Isabella was puzzled for a moment, but then realized what he was getting at.

"Sure," Isabella said as she put her plate down next to Phineas's, "I'll be right back girls." Phineas took Isabella's hand and guided her out of the room, the other girls giggling as they left.

* * *

><p>He guided her around the corner, and into the kitchen; a suitable place to talk about the issue since hardly anyone was present in the room.<p>

"What's up?" Isabella asked when Phineas let go of her hand, she leaned back on her countertop and waited. Phineas stood next to the sink and hastily planned out a way to deliver his question.

"Um, you know your cousin?" Phineas hesitated to ask.

"Which one?" Isabella giggled and folded her arms.

"Isabella, dear!" a female voice interrupted Phineas before he could speak. A woman rushed over to the two. She looked middle-aged, and hardly anything like Isabella.

"Have you seen your Uncle Monroe?" she asked calmly.

"No Aunt Elizabeth I haven't," replied Isabella, "Why? Is something wrong?"

"No dear, I just can't find him. He seemed to disappear after he chastised your boyfriend here." Aunt Elizabeth said, giving a pleasant look to Phineas.

"Oh…Phineas, this is my Aunt Elizabeth," Isabella introduced them, "Aunt Elizabeth, this is my boyfriend, Phineas Flynn."

"It's great to meet you ma'am." Phineas said and offered a handshake.

"You can call me Aunt Elizabeth," she said cheerfully as she shook Phineas' hand, "everybody does."

"Aunt Elizabeth?" Irving's voice broke into the conversation. The three of them turned to the direction of his voice and found Irving standing, holding his camera in his hands. Phineas was a bit astonish, Aunt Elizabeth was right. That thought put a smile on Phineas.

"Could you help with setting up the piñata?" Irving requested, "It's for the kids."

"Oh sure Irving." Aunt Elizabeth replied. Irving left the kitchen, and Aunt Elizabeth turned to follow. Before she left the kitchen, she rotated back and examined Phineas from head to toe.

"I still don't see why Monroe was criticizing you Phineas," Aunt Elizabeth stated and then looked at Isabella, "he's a keeper, sweetie."

Phineas didn't know what to say as Aunt Elizabeth went out of the kitchen, finally given the privacy Phineas wanted in the first place.

"Well that's a relief." Isabella suddenly stated. Phineas turned to her and gave her a puzzled expression.

"How so?" Phineas asked.

"I was beginning to think my family didn't like you." Isabella explained as she adjusted herself on the edge of the countertop. "So what did you want to talk about?"

For a moment, Phineas was drawn at a blank.

"Uhh…" Phineas mumbled, trying to rethink. The screams and shouts of the kids running around the house didn't help.

Kids…little girl…him and Ferb. It suddenly all clicked together.

"One of your cousins asked Ferb and me if we were gay." Phineas told her bluntly. Isabella almost busted out in laughter, while Phineas was still remaining as serious as he could be without seeming intimidating. It just so happen that Ferb entered the kitchen to wash his hands in the sink which Phineas stood by.

"Are you serious?" Isabella manage to say when she regained herself. "Which one?"

"Your cousin with a purple string in her hair." Phineas recalled.

"Annie?" Isabella asked. Ferb had now turned off the running sink water and was standing next to Phineas. He gave a single nod to Isabella. Isabella had to think it over for a moment.

"I don't see how she was able to see us like that." Phineas explained, trying really hard to put this all together. Isabella looked at him, then at Ferb, and then back to Phineas.

"Well, now that you mentioned it…" Isabella started to say. Ferb just raised his hand to stop her, and he silently left the kitchen.

"I was just kidding!" Isabella laughed, but to no avail, Ferb had left the room. Isabella got the last of her giggled out of her system, and gave her attention to Phineas.

"Annie is always asking questions," Isabella explained, "sometimes we don't even know how she knows about mature stuff."

"Yeah…but she thought…Ferb and I…we're step-brothers…how could…" Phineas was choking on his own sentence.

It wasn't until he felt Isabella's soft arms wrap around his neck did he realize how close Isabella was to him. Their bodies were practically touching, their cloths rubbing against each other's. Isabella slowly leaned her head up and kissed Phineas. He then felt the familiar feeling of fireworks going off in his head, and the jolt of energy that ran through his lips. Amidst all of his senses going overboard, Phineas managed to close his eyes and return Isabella's kiss, which only intensified the feelings throughout his body.  
>Not that Phineas minded at all.<p>

Slowly, Isabella's lips pulled away, and she gazed up into his eyes. Phineas was lost in her trance and oblivious to the world around him.  
>He looked endearingly into Isabella's eyes as he felt love swelling in his heart.<p>

"Phineas," Isabella said sweetly with a small grin, "how could you be gay if you're in love with me?"

Phineas did his best to suppress his laugh, but resulted with him having a tighten grin.

"Happy birthday Isabella." Phineas mumbled as he pulled her closer into the embrace. It was at that moment that Phineas was now fully sure of himself. He really loved and adored Isabella straight down to his heart. It made him wonder why he didn't see it before, but Phineas eased those thoughts away as his mind melted with the sensation running through him.

"Eh-hem." a voice spoke up. Phineas slowly loosened up their embrace and glanced over at where the voice came from. On the other side of the kitchen Phineas saw Gretchen.

"I hate to interrupt, but we're starting the piñata bashing now." Gretchen informed.

"Great!" Isabella said happily, and started to drag Phineas as she walked. Although Phineas wanted to remain in the kitchen and spend more time with Isabella, the old nostalgic thrill of beating open a piñata intrigued him.

As Phineas followed behind Isabella, he couldn't help at looking at Isabella's backside as she walked. Her neatly done raven black hair swished as she walked, and her hips swayed with every step; the tight shorts Isabella wore only made it eye candy.  
>Suddenly, Phineas felt something bulge in his pants. He briefly glanced down and only took a second to realize what happen.<p>

'Oh shit.' Phineas' mind shouted. He suddenly became nervous and slowed his pace. Phineas went from following behind to trailing behind. Quickly, Phineas tried to think of something to calm himself down. Before he knew it, Phineas was already walking into the crowded and rowdy backyard.

'Crap…' Phineas muttered in his mind. However, nobody was paying attention to Phineas. They were either enjoying the pool, or focusing on the piñata being hung over a tree branch, with Isabella's uncle, Monroe, manning the pulling rope.

* * *

><p><strong>(…,,,…,,,)<strong>

Pinky was yapping and bouncing up at the piñata as it dangled above the middle-aged Chihuahua.

"Somebody get the perro outta the way, vamos!" Uncle Monroe barked as he tugged on the rope, causing the colorful piñata to bounce up and down on the other line. Out of the crowd, Django came forth to move the dog.

"Vamos amigo, vamos!" Uncle Monroe muttered as Django quickly scooped up the shaking chihuahua and quickly got out from under the piñata.

"Everyone who wants to whack the piñata with a stick, form a line!" instructed Uncle Monroe. The younger kids eagerly filed into a line leading up to the piñata, while the young adults were not sure if they should join in or not. A few of them were Phineas, Ferb, Adyson, Buford, and Baljeet, who stood watching as the first kid was handed the piñata stick.

"It is so tempting to relive the joy of striking the piñata and hastily collecting all of the candy that falls out." Baljeet commented. Buford let out a sigh as he reached for something.

"Here, knock ya self out, Jeet." Buford solemnly said as he offered a rusty crowbar to Baljeet. Phineas, Ferb, and Adyson shot looks at Buford, while Baljeet just stared at the crowbar. Seeing that he was getting nowhere, Buford pulled back the crowbar and held it in both hands. He also noticed Adyson's look she gave him.

"What?" Buford asked.

"You brought a crowbar to Isabella's birthday party?" Adyson asked flatly.

"Hey," Buford snapped in a tired manner, "what did you bring?" Adyson glared at Buford, who only raised an eyebrow. Finally, Adyson sighed in defeat. To Phineas' surprise, Adyson pulled out a small, yet heavy looking hammer. Ferb just rolled his eyes.

They all focused back at the piñata that was swinging wildly as it was being beaten by the piñata stick. Phineas then thought of something. Shouldn't Isabella have a chance to hit the piñata? After all, it _was_ her party.

Quickly, Phineas made and avoided shuffling through the crowd by going around the pool, and over to Uncle Monroe who was working the piñata's rope. Uncle Monroe spotted Phineas approaching, and gave him a perplexed expression.

"Mr. Monroe?" Phineas greeted as he stood right next to him.

"Que pasa?" was all Monroe asked as he tugged down on the rope, causing the piñata to jump higher and missing the swinging piñata stick. Phineas quietly explained his idea, and when he was finished, Monroe had a genuine expression of realization.

"Good idea chico," Monroe said and then spotted Isabella standing with her Fireside Girls, "Hey! Izza-bella!"

"Yes Uncle Monroe?" Isabella replied.

"Why don't you take a whack at the piñata?" Monroe asked aloud, "it's _your_ birthday party!"  
>Slowly but certainly, everyone agreed on that reasoning, and were urging Isabella to step forth. The little kid holding the piñata stick even handed it over to her.<p>

"Well, just once." Isabella stated. She rolled her eyes with a devious smile at Phineas before she returned her attention on the dented piñata. She had gotten the feeling that

"Keeps your eyes open chico." Monroe whispered to Phineas.

Everyone watched as Isabella readied herself. In one motion, Isabella drew back the wooden stick and slashed it forward.

_WHAACCKK!_

To almost everyone's surprise, the piñata cracked and split right in the spot where Isabella struck. When the piñata finally stop swaying from the impact force, a wave of shock washed over everyone outside. Everybody stared at the piñata with unbelievable looks, not knowing what to say at the sight that they saw.

It was Monroe who was the first to say something about this predicament.

"Who forgot to put the candy in?" Monroe demanded loudly.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: This took a bit longer than I expected. Nonetheless, I finished the chapter. Also, I've decided to work on another story along with this one. So production will be…hopefully the same rate. So uh…yea, that's all for now.<strong>

**Leave a review if you wish…if I made any grammar mistakes (I probably did) I'm sorry.**


	17. Education

**Author's note: Now that I look back at the previous chapter, I found hunks of sentences missing…**

**I hope that did not deteriorate the quality of the chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Education<strong>

Phineas plopped himself down on the couch and felt himself sinking into the cushions.  
>Lazily, he grabbed the remote, and turned the T.V.<br>He flipped through the noon broadcasts, in search for something amusing to watch, but sighed in disappointment when he only saw commercials, news, and infomercials on every channel available. Nothing funny was on, not even that show that had a talking baby and dog.

The last few days had been rather boring. Ferb, Isabella, and the rest of his friends were in school at this time, but every afternoon, he would go and hang with them.  
>Back then, it was usually himself who came up with ideas that they were going to do every day.<br>Starting at when Phineas dropped out of Danville High and all the way up to the present, he hadn't plan a big project he and Ferb would build.

He idly wondered if they should build something again.

'Nah, Ferb's too busy with school right now.' Phineas figured in his head, and started to think of other things he could do to pass time.

He would like to go out for a drive, but he needed a destination; otherwise, he'd be wasting gas.

The gas prices had risen significantly. Back then, it didn't seem like 10 cents or a quarter discount on gas mattered.  
>Now that he was buying his own gas, however, Phineas sought every chance to save money on gas. He could only imagine gas prices from way back then.<p>

On several accounts, he was tempted to go to the study room and read some of the books on the shelf, but he found himself procrastinating that task.

He also spent about an hour or so in the room set up with a high-speed computer. He usually spent the time looking up things of interest, brushing up on old knowledge, and watching random funny videos on the multiple video websites on the web. Other than that, Phineas did really much use the computer.

'What is there for a guy to do when he's alone with a computer?' Phineas asked himself and thought it over. He had absolutely no idea.

Finally choosing to get up and go read a book instead of watching TV, Phineas turned off the TV and rose from the furniture.

Lazily, Phineas made his way through the house and over to the study room.

'At least I'm doing something different.' Phineas thought as he walked. Phineas' mind drifted as he passed through the rooms of the house. On his right, he passed the guest bedroom, the sheets still winkled from his slumber. Phineas had always slept in the guest bed, seeing that he had no use for a bed meant for two, and that the guest bed was incredibly bouncy while being comfortable.

He was tired most of the day from inactivity, and he needed something to keep busy until the afternoon came. Phineas came up to the study room. He felt a tiny wave of accomplishment, seeing that he finally did something he intended to do awhile ago. As he entered the study, he suddenly felt the quiet vibe in the room; a vibe that somehow told him that this was a place to read and be silent.

He went over to the bookshelf and started to scan the books for an interesting title. His finger stopped at a black book with no title. Intrigued, Phineas plucked the book out of the rest. Its black cover was made of some sort of soft fabric, and the book itself was heavier than it seemed.

"Hmm…" Phineas grumbled aloud as he flipped the book to find the title. The words that caught his eyes were very peculiar. "_The Book Thief_…by Markus Zu..sak?"

Taking an interest, Phineas carefully sat himself down on the comfy chair, and opened the book. He was about to fold the cover and the first few pages, but then vaguely recalled that doing so would ruin the quality of the book.  
>Not wanting to question something he had absolutely no idea, Phineas just opened the book and began to gradually read.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>A FEW HOURS LATER…<strong>

Phineas's eyes were instantly glued to the print on the next page as he flipped to the start of the next chapter. Steadily, Phineas read the sentences. He was so fixed on reading that the words he read started to play out like a well organized movie in Phineas's mind. Even though Phineas had lost track of the time and he had been sitting in the study seat for however amount of time, he was so focused on seeing what happened next in the book.

_RING RING!_

The sudden burst of noise made Phineas jerk from his calm sitting stance and immediately look around for the noise.

It took Phineas a second to realize that it was his cell phone.

_RING RING!_

Phineas glanced over to his right and saw his lit up phone on the table. The caller ID on the display read 'Isabella'. Closing the book on his thumb to make sure he didn't loose his page number, Phineas reached over and answered the cell phone.

"Hello?" Phineas answered as he set the book down.

"_Hey Phineas,_" he heard Isabella's cheerful voice on the phone, "_whatcha' doin?_"

"Just reading a book." Phineas answered as he quickly glanced at the book on his lap.

"_Oooh, what's it called?_"

Phineas carefully twisted the book around to see the front cover's title.

"_The Book Thief_, by Mark…Zusak," Phineas told her, finally getting the last name right, "it's actually a pretty good book."

"_Oh, I read that book once,_" Isabella added, "_do you wanna know the ending?_"

"Uhh, no thanks," Phineas hesitantly denied, "I wanna read the rest of the book."

"_Everyone dies from on D-Day._" Isabella continued openly.

"What!" Phineas exclaimed, almost losing his page in the book That entire story…all that happened…and they all just die?

"Isabella! How could you spoil the ending to a good book?" Phineas asked, still shocked at the revelation. All that he heard on the other line was Isabella's cute laughter.

"_I'm just kidding Phineas!_" Isabella laughed on the phone. Phineas just comprehended that Isabella was joking.

"Oh…" Phineas muttered.

"_Anyways, do you think you can come over soon?_" Isabella continued. In an instant, Phineas had to decide whether to decline the offer and continue reading his book, or to go and leave the book to read another day. Somehow, Phineas had a vague feeling that he would procrastinate that day.

"Why?" Phineas wondered.

"_Well, I got this new movie I wanted to watch with you, and a bit of homework I need to get done._" Isabella explained.  
>With a sigh, Phineas carefully set aside the book he was reading next to the lamp.<p>

"Sure, I'll be there soon." Phineas said as he turned off the lamp.

"_Great! Thanks Phineas!_" Isabella said sweetly.

"Anytime, Isabella." Phineas said as he got up.

"_Love you, Phineas._" Isabella added.

"I love you, too." Phineas replied, and they both hung up. Phineas felt the warm feeling of love inside himself as he went to go find the keys to his motorcycle.

**(…,,,…,,,)**

* * *

><p>Phineas pulled up into the Garcia-Shapiro's concrete driveway. It was already sunset, border lining dusk. As he dismounted and cut the ignition, his eyes wandered around the old neighborhood, memories of his childhood slowly rushing back to him.<br>Phineas felt a bit of nostalgia in the corner of his heart as he looked upon the front of the house which he lived in as a kid.

With a sigh, Phineas dismissed the feeling and started to walk over to the front door of Isabella's home. As he reached the doorstep, his index finger instinctively pressed the doorbell button, and Phineas heard the little chimes ring inside the household.

"I'll get it!" Phineas heard Isabella exclaim as she went for the door.

In a few seconds, the door had already opened, and there stood Phineas's only love in the world: Isabella.

She was wearing a pink tank top that left her stomach and all the way down to the top of her hips exposed, as well as her shoulders.  
>Isabella also wore khaki shorts that only went down a few inches, displaying her slender, yet toned legs. Due to his height, Phineas could see her cleavage, but his eyes were too busy gazing at her beautiful face. He was tempted to kiss here right then and there.<p>

"Phineas, I'm so glad you could make it." Isabella said. Before Phineas could reply, Isabella leaned up and kissed him on the lips. Phineas's mind was almost blown away by emotions when Isabella pulled away and led him inside.

"No…problem." Phineas managed to mutter out as he fumbled to close the door behind him.

Once he did, he followed right behind Isabella, somehow unable to take his eyes of her body as she walked.

"Izza! Who is it?" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro's voice called out from somewhere in the house, also snapping Phineas out of his trance.

"It's Phineas, mom." Isabella called back and halted, almost causing Phineas to bump into her.

"Ok, you two stay out of trouble!" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro answered. Isabella resumed walking down the hallway, and Phineas following behind. His impulses kept getting the better of him, for Phineas's eyes were slowly drawn back to Isabella's backside and butt.

'Damn she has a nice ass.' Phineas thought to himself, but mentally scolded himself for thinking that.

"Do they allow you to wear that in school?" Phineas wondered aloud, trying to snap himself out of his ogling daze at her features.

"Nope," Isabella glanced over her shoulder, "why'd you ask?"

"Just wondering…" Phineas croaked. Unbeknownst to him, his face was slowly emanating a crimson red blush.

Fortunately for him, they had reached Isabella's room. The next sight he saw took his mind off of his emotions, and replaced it with astonishment.

Amidst Isabella's pink and purple room modified for a young adult were neat stacks of books and piles of organized paper.

It literally looked like her bedroom was turned into a brightly colored office.

"Sorry about the mess," Isabella apologized as she jumped onto her bed and grabbed her backpack, "I was working on college applications a few months ago."

Still at a loss of words, Phineas plopped himself down next to the edge of the bed, while Isabella made herself comfy on the bed.  
>She had lain down on her elbows, her head right beside Phineas.<p>

"You already submitted the applications?" Phineas finally asked as Isabella started to pull a book out of her backpack.

"Yep," Isabella replied, "now I just have to wait for the colleges to reply."

"Honestly, I don't think I could handle all of this." Phineas admitted.

"I think you could if you tried." Isabella replied as she opened her book. Phineas pondered over her words, trying to figure out if he really could, but figured it would be too hard for him, especially at this point in life.

'Then I'm just lazy.' Phineas muttered in his mind. He didn't like being lazy. He already had a glimpse at the life of leisure over the last few days, and it was flat-out boring.

"Oh, and Phineas?" Isabella's voice interrupted.

"Yea?"

"Danville High doesn't allow students to wear 'suggestive clothing'." Isabella whispered in Phineas' ear.

Phineas was lost for a moment, but then figured out that she was referring to the question he asked in the hallway. With a smirk, Phineas slowly glanced at Isabella, who was a few inches away from his face. In an instant, Isabella planted a kiss on Phineas' forehead, and then went back to doing her homework.

"Isabella…" Phineas groaned as he threw his head back on the bed.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Why must you tease?" Phineas wondered, still looking up at the ceiling, trying his best to avoid looking at the light.

"Because it's fun." Isabella replied with a small laugh.

"When can we watch the movie?" Phineas finally asked, changing the topic.

"When I'm done with my homework." Isabella replied as she wrote down an answer to a question on a loose-leaf paper.

"Couldn't you do it later?" Phineas wondered.

"I rather not procrastinate education that's vital to my future." Isabella stated.

Phineas felt as if something struck a nerve in his heart.  
>While Isabella had not been delaying with her schoolwork, Phineas had been procrastinating the simple task of going into a study room.<p>

"Yeah, I wouldn't be able to do that." Phineas confirmed.

"Well then, we'll have to work on that, won't we?" Isabella asked and nudged Phineas. Phineas felt the warm and fuzzy lovely feeling all over again in his heart.

"Yes, yes we will." Phineas replied as he took a look at the book that Isabella was working in. He tried to read a few sentences, but was immediately lost. Not that he couldn't read the sentences, it was just his brain couldn't process the information through. Then, Phineas figured something out.

"So why am I here if I can't help you out with your homework?" Phineas asked.

"I missed you," Isabella happily replied, "and I needed the company."

With that said, Isabella went back to work.

"What movie are we watching?" Phineas wondered.

"You'll see." Isabella answered.

"Is it Tier Zero?"

"Would I really watch something like that?"

"I don't know, would you?"

"Phineas, I'm trying to work here!"

"Ok…ok, just asking."

For a few seconds, there was only the sound of graphite scratching against paper, and the low buzz of the light above.

"Is it a Stinkleberry movie?"

"Phineas, I'm trying to concentrate!" Isabella exclaimed, trying to hold in her laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER…<strong>

"Next time, I'm picking the movie." Phineas declared. He was sitting down on the living room couch, watching the movie in front of him. Isabella had made herself cozy by snuggling up on Phineas' left side. All throughout the movie, Phineas found himself distracted by the fragrance of Isabella's perfume.  
>It was in a neutral way though; the perfume just smelled like…perfume.<p>

"Who said there was gonna be a 'next time'?" Isabella asked sarcastically.

"Well…I thought…" Phineas started to mumble, taking her words quite literally. Immediately, Isabella leaned her head up and kissed his left check.

"I was kidding Phineas," Isabella explained as she leaned her head on his shoulder, "of course there's gonna be a 'next time'."

"Oh, that's a relief."

"What movie did ya have in mind for next time?"

"Tier Zero."

"Something else, please." Isabella demanded flatly.

"Alright then, _The Expendables_." Phineas countered.

"Something besides an action movie with heads being blown off." Isabella groaned. Phineas was enjoying Isabella's reaction.

"Besides, Tier Zero isn't out yet." Isabella added.

"It comes out this week, and I'm gonna go buy it on DVD." Phineas stated.

"Why can't you just order it on one of those movie channels?" Isabella asked.

"It seems more legit to have the DVD." was all that Phineas said before he returned his attention back to the movie. "So what's suppose to be going on in this scene?"

"This is the part when she has to decide between ruling her empire or running away with her love." Isabella enlightened.

Before Phineas could add his opinion, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro came running into the living room.

"Izza! Mi hija! Izza!" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro exclaimed, almost on the edge of shouting.

"What is it mama?" Isabella asked, rising up from the couch. Phineas, easily forgetting about the movie, also rose from the couch.  
>Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro immediately handed Isabella an envelope and went over to turn the lights on in the living room.<p>

"It's for you." Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro said with excitement as she flipped the light switch on. It took Phineas a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sudden light.

Isabella flipped over the envelope and read the addressed written on the front. Phineas watched as Isabella's eyes widen and her mouth opened in bewilderment. Isabella hastily flipped the envelope and proceeded with tearing it open. As soon as she managed to open it, she pulled out the folded paper inside and dropped the ripped-open envelope.

Phineas bent down and picked up the discarded paper parcel and searched for the sending address.  
>He found it at the top left corner and carefully read the location and address.<p>

"Tri-State Academy." Phineas read the words. He vaguely recalled the huge college campus located in the vicinity of the neighborhood he lived in. Isabella squealed with joy and hugged Phineas before he could react.

"I can't believe it!" Isabella exclaimed as she held onto Phineas tightly.

"What?" Phineas asked, although he had a feeling he already knew.

"I got accepted to the Tri-State Academy!" Isabella proclaimed. With the amount of energy she was showing, Phineas was surprised that she wasn't bouncing and jumping around the house.

"I have to tell Linda!" Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro stated, and ran out of the room to make the call to the house directly across the street.

"That's…great?" Phineas tried to find the right words to say to his girlfriend. He knew it was a big deal to get into college, but wasn't sure it was _that_ big of a deal…right?

'I wouldn't know anyways, I dropped out.' Phineas bluntly reminded himself. Isabella had plopped herself down on the couch and was reading over the acceptance letter.

"It's the _highest_ academic college in the _entire_ Tri-State Area, Phineas, and I was accepted!" Isabella explained with joy as she looked over the letter.

After a few moments, Isabella's eyes spotted something that almost took away her excitement. Phineas could tell by the sudden change of her expressions.

"Oh…" Isabella mumbled and reread a part of the letter again.

"What?" Phineas asked with interested concern.

"The schedules begin at six in the morning," Isabella started to explain, "it would take me an hour just to get there, not including traffic. I don't know how I would be able to handle the time. I would only get six hours of sleep, and that's _not_ counting the hours I have to spend doing college work."

"Oh…" Phineas mumbled, realizing the situation.

The Tri-State Academy was on the opposite side of Danville from Isabella's house. Phineas tried to think of something that could help Isabella. It was then that Phineas remembered that he practically lived a few blocks away from the Tri-State Academy. He tossed the idea in his head for a few seconds before he said anything.

"Isabella?" Phineas started to ask. Isabella turned her head to him.

"Would it be easier if you lived at my place?" Phineas asked.  
>For some reason, he felt a ting of nervousness in the bottom of his heart, but he ignored it. He had no reason to be nervous; no reason that he could think of anyways.<p>

"You mean…move in with you?" Isabella rephrased the question.

"Yeah, the Tri-State Academy is only a few blocks away from my house." Phineas told her.

He was going to say 'Cullen's' house, but then remembered that Cullen had given him the house. That wasn't the only thing he gave Phineas. Apparently, Cullen also gave him a bank account with a good sum of money to last somebody a year. While this was a good thing, Phineas knew that sometime in the future that the money would eventually run out. Phineas had to do something about that.

"Phineas…I don't…know." Isabella stammered for some reason unknown to Phineas.

"Why not?" Phineas asked, "We would be able to see each other every day, you could get to the Tri-State Academy in a few minutes, and you'll have your own place, too."

"My own place?" Isabella repeated.

"Ok, _our_ own place." Phineas corrected himself. Isabella thought over it for a minute before she finally gave Phineas her answer.

"Of course you know I would say yes," Isabella told her boyfriend, "but I think we should talk this over with my mother before we make any decisions."

Phineas thought over this for a moment in his head. For a second, he was distracted by the credits scrolling up on the TV from the movie that they had forgotten about. Wanting to save power, Phineas picked up the TV remote and turned off the TV.

"Alright, let's go talk to her." Phineas suggested and started to get up off the couch, leaving the remote behind.

"Phineas!" Isabella gasped and gently tugged at his arm to make him stay.

"What?" Phineas asked in confusion.

"Do you realize what you are asking?" Isabella demanded with a smile on her face.

"Yes, yes I do," Phineas replied, "but seeing that you want me to ask your mom about this, I'm gonna go ask her."

Isabella sighed as she got up from the couch.

"You're so oblivious on the matter, Phineas." Isabella said while managing to hold in a laugh. Isabella had walked off to find her mother, and Phineas was left standing in confusion. Still confused, Phineas followed after Isabella.

"It's just moving in!" Phineas tried to explain.

'Damn, how serious could it be?' he grumbled in his head.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Wow…I managed to get this chapter done. I guess the sparks of inspiration are at random. Anyways, I am terribly sorry for how long this took. School work is starting to gradually take its toll, along with the projects, and football managing…it's been tough to get the right idea for a filler chapter. I hope this chapter was satisfying, though. Sorry for any editinggrammar errors that you might have found in this chapter. What do I mean by 'filler chapter'? Well…let's just say that some plot events kick in during the next chapter. **

**Oh, and '**_**The Book Thief'**_**, by Mark Zusak, is actually a REAL book. It's actually a really good book, in my opinion.  
>Also, let us not forget the victims during the 911 attack. May they rest in forever peace.**

**What do I mean by 'filler chapter'? Well…let's just say that some plot events kick in during the next chapter. **

**And apparently, FanFiction has a feature that every time you submit a review, you get a message that says the author would like to thank you for reviewing…or something like that. I don't believe an automatic thank you is good enough.**

**Thank you everyone who decides to review!**

**Until next time everybody. **


	18. Bad Reputation

**Author's note: As I was looking back in my previous author's notes, I see that I tend to 'apologize' to yall too much. Don't be going back just to read the past author's notes. Why? Cause there is a new chapter right here!**

**On another note, I hate writer's block.**

* * *

><p><strong>Bad Reputation<strong>

Phineas realized that having Isabella move in with him wasn't complicated at all; it just took _too_ long.

It had officially taken all week of afternoon work to move all of Isabella's belongings over to Phineas' house. The job was only half done at that point, since both he and Isabella had to go through all of her stuff and find a place to put each one. Phineas had to move his cloths to a new closet during the process.

Nevertheless, the house was soon tidy and clean after the two had everything sorted out and put away. Isabella's pink Cadillac now occupied the driveway, and Phineas' motorcycle found a spot next to Cullen's green Pontiac GTO 66.  
>Phineas would love to drive the vehicle around town, but he had no experience with manual driving; only automatic.<p>

For the first few days, Isabella had slept in the main bed while Phineas slept in the guest bed. After one afternoon of coaxing and sweet talk, Isabella managed to persuade Phineas to sleep in the main bed with her. Phineas found himself listening to Isabella talk about her school day while they were in bed.

Not only did he find her school life interesting, but he was sure that Isabella also enjoyed someone listening to her.

"Phineas, what do you do all day?" Isabella asked one night.

"I sit around and read most of the time," Phineas had replied, "but I am looking for a job."

"Oh, ok…" Isabella said, her voice trailing off at the end.

"Why you ask?" Phineas wondered.

"Well, it's just that I've been hearing rumors about what you do." Isabella carefully admitted.

"Like what?" Phineas asked.

"Don't worry about, Phineas." Isabella told him as she kissed him goodnight and went to bed.

Phineas couldn't sleep at all that night. He was wondering what exactly people were saying about him behind his back.

* * *

><p>That was the very reason why he was now parking his V-Rod motorcycle in the Danville High parking lot amongst the various cars and trucks.<p>

Phineas noted that most of the trucks were huge Fords, Chevys, or Dodge trucks.  
>Although being large and durable vehicles, they were also major gas guzzlers. Phineas idly thought about what the drivers were trying to get at with their trucks.<p>

"Must be trying to compensate for something." Phineas mumbled as he walked on the sidewalk leading to the entrance.

What they were compensating for, Phineas had no idea.

He was making his way towards the high school entrance when he suddenly spotted a student outstretched and sleeping on one of the wooden benches up ahead. When he was passing by, Phineas recognized who the lazy sleeper was.

"Whiz, is that you?"

"Huh?" Whiz groaned as he groggily regained his senses. Lazily, he stretched legs and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, Whiz looked up to see Phineas staring down at him.

"Phineas!" Whiz yelped as he rolled off the wooden bench. The confused Phineas watched as Whiz stumbled onto the ground and quickly stood up, dusting himself off. Whiz gave him a skeptical look at Phineas' head and cloths.

"What?" Phineas asked, confused at the new persona that Whiz was showing.

"Is it true you do drugs?" Whiz asked, taking a single step back.

"No," Phineas answered in surprise, "where'd you hear that?"

Immediately, Whiz gave a sigh of relief and relaxed. It took Whiz a moment to realize that Phineas had asked a question.

"What?"

"Who told you that?" Phineas rephrased the question. Whiz plopped himself back down on the bench and stretched his arms.

"A few of the druggies were saying it," Whiz explained lazily, "I just happen to walk by during one of their smoking sessions."  
>Phineas figured that his name must have somehow been brought up, and then the rumor was made up.<p>

"What else do they say about me?" Phineas asked, glancing over at the high school's front door.

"A few false rumors; not much to worry 'bout." Whiz assured. Despite Whiz's words, Phineas was worried; he didn't want to be known as a bad person by others he had never met before.

"If you'll excuse me," Whiz yawned and laid down, "I gotta get back to my nappin'." With that said, he went back to sleep. Phineas just looked at him, and then continued to make his way over towards the high school main entrance.

* * *

><p>(…,,,…,,,)<p>

After signing in at the main office as a visitor, Phineas found himself walking down the hallway. There were clusters of students on every side, making the only available path for Phineas to take was down the middle. On all sides, he could not help but notice all the sudden looks everyone gave him. They would look at him for a moment, then turn back to their group discussion. Phineas thought that they all would go back to talking about the latest gossip or news, but he had a dour hunch that _he_ was the latest news; or in this case, gossip.

"Hey, you're Phineas, right?" he heard a younger voice behind him ask. Phineas turned halfway around to see who had called his name. Phineas found out that a little freshmen teenage boy had called out his name. He also noticed the group of freshmen standing behind the freshmen teenage boy. For some reason, the boy who called out his name flinched when Phineas' eyes met his.

"Yes, why?" Phineas wondered ever-so-kindly.

"Is it true that you are in a biker clan?" the freshmen asked. Phineas was slightly taken aback from the question.

"First of all, they're biker 'gangs'" Phineas corrected, "and second…no."

Not wanting to deal with the freshmen, Phineas resumed his path down the hallway. He found it slightly ironic about how he felt towards freshmen, even though he had been a freshmen once before. Continuing on his way, he had only gone a few meters before he was stopped again, this time by a girl.

"Uh Phineas? How many people have you killed?" the brown hair girl asked. Phineas' eyes widened at the question.

"None!" Phineas exclaimed as calmly as he could, "Why would I want to kill someone?"

"I dunno, you tell me." the girl shot back, not buying Phineas' words.

"Who told you this?" Phineas demanded. If somebody was spreading rumors about him, he wanted to put a stop to it.

"I just heard that from some of the guys around here." the girl answered, not really giving much information for Phineas to work with.  
>Making his way around the girl, Phineas groaned and shook his head.<p>

Soon, other students were either trailing behind or beside him. They were either asking questions, or acting like they knew him.  
>In all honesty, he didn't know any of them. Both of his ears were clamored with questions and remarks.<p>

"Hey Phineas!...Did you go to jail?...Hey, whatzzup Flynn…I'll pay you to give me a ride…Are you and Isabella still dating?...Can I see your Swiss army knives?...Where ya been, Phineas?...How's Ferb doin?...Please don't beat me up, I'll pay up as soon as…Do you really smoke five times a day?...Ain't you a biker?...Didn't ya run away from home?...Why you no answer my messages?...Why did you drop out of high school?...Ya don't look so tough…How old are you?"

Phineas' mind was immediately overflowed with all of this. His mood varied with aggravation towards the assumption made against him, and the annoyance of the classmates who acted like they knew him. Although he _did_ want to answer a few of the well-asked questions, Phineas couldn't response over the crowd that tagged along.

"If you want to know, go ask Irving!" Phineas declared broadly.  
>He managed to get a few of the students to break off and go search for Irving, but a number of them still persisted. Phineas had no idea what he was going to do about them.<p>

"Hey!" a gruff, familiar voice shouted over all of them. Everyone fell silent as they looked ahead. Phineas also glanced forward and saw two guys that he knew.

In front of Phineas and the crowd stood Buford, still looking as intimidating as ever with his bully-punk attire, and with a new crew cut. At the same time, Buford's presences was a relief for a surrounded Phineas.

The second person standing on Buford's left was someone roughly Phineas' height, and wore jeans and a letter jacket.

'Trent?' Phineas' mind wondered. A bit of rage sparked inside of Phineas; the last time he and Trent met was when they brawled at the mall. Phineas recalled the vicious words that were exchanged that afternoon, followed up by the fight. One doesn't simply forget words like those, especially if they were about Isabella.  
>Though his friends say he has changed, Phineas wasn't sure whether to believe them or not.<p>

"You guys have three seconds to scram!" Buford snarled, pointing a finger at them for emphasis. Phineas wasn't sure if that included himself.

"Or else what?" questioned a freshman. Before Buford could lash out with his vocabulary of threats and profanity, Trent took a calm step forward.

"If you guys don't," Trent started to say calmly, "Buford, me, _and_ Phineas will beat the living shit outta all of ya."

A few of the students fled, wanting to get to their classrooms and avoid the potential scuffle. The more stubborn one stayed, however, presenting a problem.

"There's only three of you against all of us!" a sophomore pointed out smugly. The potential scuffle just evolved into an ominous fight.  
>Buford glared into the sophomore's eyes.<p>

"Dude, I know where you locker is." Buford growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Where?" the sophomore asked timidly.

"Locker 543." Buford pointed out. Phineas watched as the sophomore fled in the opposite direction.

"One…two…" Trent started to count. Before he could say 'three', everyone around Phineas had run away to their next classes, leaving Phineas, Buford, and Trent one of the few standing in the hallway.

"You can remember everyone's locker, but you need a nerd's help to pass math?" Trent asked Buford as Phineas walked up towards them.

"I have priorities, man." Buford simply replied. Phineas was surprised at the sudden friendship between the two of them, and didn't let his shock go unnoticed.

"Since when did you guys become pals?" Phineas wondered aloud.

"We're not 'pals'," Trent cleared up, "we're just leaders of gangs that operate respectively."

"What he said." Buford grunted. This new sophisticated personality that Trent was showing was a complete contrast to the old arrogant, cocky personality. For a moment, Phineas thought that Trent's new personality was to disguise his true self, but then he remembered how Trent and Buford seem to work together now.

Things really do change.

"So why were there a bunch of people following me?" Phineas finally asked.

"Oh they were just excited to see ya." Trent replied.

"After all, you _are_ the notorious Phineas Flynn." Buford added. Phineas almost laughed at that…almost.

"Can someone tell me about this reputation of mine?" Phineas asked.

"Don't worry about it," Trent assured, "only half the things they say about you are true."

"Wait, half?" Phineas repeated. Before Trent or Buford could answer, the school's tardy bell rang for the starting classes.

"Damn it," Buford grumbled as he lumbered past Phineas, "see ya Dinner Bell."

"Well, I better be off," Trent said, "you should probably go sign in."

"Alright." Phineas said, and started to head towards the school office.

"Hey Phineas?" Trent asked. Phineas stopped and turned around.

"Watch out for the girls." Trent warned.

"Why?" Phineas questioned.

"I've been hearing the girls talking about you," Trent explained, "let's just say the idea of your bad-boy self…excites them."

"O-kay?" Phineas replied, not sure where Trent was going with this.

"Just letting ya know, some of them have talked about taking action." Trent followed up.

Phineas took heed of the warning, but was skeptical of the whole idea. After all, what kind of action could a girl do to Phineas that would harm him? Besides the obvious reason, which Phineas knew wasn't the case, he had no idea.

"Alright then." Phineas replied.

"Later." Trent said as he went off to his tardy class. Phineas stood there for a moment in thought, then shrugged and continued to walk towards the main office.

* * *

><p><strong>AT THE LIBRARY...<strong>

Phineas soon found himself in the Danville High Library, just sitting down at a table with a book on schematics in his hands. He figured that he had better retained some of the brilliance immersed deep within his brain. Phineas knew he still had it in him, but the only problem was the capability to think like he did so long ago.  
>Slowly but surely, the cranium pains started to die down, and Phineas' eyes were entranced into the book's text.<p>

He was so entranced, that he failed to notice the two people that sat down beside him.

"Hey Flynn..." a flirty girl's voice interrupted his trail of concentration. With a ting of annoyance, Phineas glanced to the sides to see a brunette girl sitting on his right, and a blonde hair girl on his left.

"Um, do I know you two?" Phineas asked politely, silently hoping that they would leave so he could continue reading. He never realized that he enjoyed readings so much, nor did he take into account of how close the two girls sat.

"Don't you remember us?" the brunette girl pouted, leaning in closer.

"Frankly, no." Phineas replied honestly. The brunette girl scoffed while the blonde girl simply slipped her arm around Phineas' arm.  
>Phineas felt slightly uncomfortable, but didn't want to be rude to them.<p>

"Well, my name is Elizabeth." the brunette introduced herself.

"And I'm Selena," the blonde girl added as she caught a glimpse of Phineas' face, still holding onto his left arm, "the girls are right, you do look cuter up close."

Phineas blushed, but in reality, he was nervous. He was secretly hoping that a friend of his would come and bail him out of this situation, but unfortunately, hardly anyone was in the library.

"I n-never knew." Phineas stammered, not sure of what to do in this situation.

"Hey, are you busy tonight?" Elizabeth asked, tracing her finger on Phineas' right hand.

"Uh, no…why?" Phineas wondered.

"Oh no reason," Elizabeth said coyly, "just wonderin' if you wanted to go to a party with us."

Immediately, Isabella came into mind, and Phineas knew what to say.

"Sorry, I got a girlfriend." Phineas answered, hoping that was a good enough reason.

"So?" Selena shot back, "Aren't you a bad-boy, Phineas? You gotta live up to your reputation."  
>For some reason, her response made Phineas turn cold.<p>

"Besides, we won't be doin' much," Elizabeth added, talking a hold of his right hand with hers, "just a bit of dancin'…a bit of drinkin'…"

"And afterwards you can fuck us both." Selena put in. The two girls giggled, but Phineas was taken aback at the remark.

"B-but…I-" stuttered Phineas. Selena put an arm around Phineas' back, and Elizabeth gently held his chin.  
>This caused Phineas to fall silent, and his face turned as red as his hair.<p>

"Now Phineas…" Selena reasoned, moving her face closer to Phineas' nose, "Would you really turn down two hot chicks who wanna party and fuck?"

It was then Phineas took a glimpse at the two girls' bodies. He suddenly found himself considering their offer to go with them tonight after looking at their bodies. His hormones considered it; his mind and heart, however, discarded the notion of it.

"No girls, I'm unavailable." Phineas quickly said while getting out of his chair. Luckily for him, their arms slipped off him instead of grabbing hold and pulling him down. Taking the schematics book with him to check out, Phineas left the two girls speechless.

* * *

><p>(…,,,…,,,)<p>

"Well," Elizabeth said, "I didn't expect that."

"What kinda guy would turn down sex from two hot, horny girls?" Selena questioned rhetorically, still trying to take in what just happen.

"Well, at least we tried." Elizabeth sighed as she stood up from the chair. Selena rose, too, but she silently disagreed. To her, they haven't even tried just yet.  
>If anything, they had to step up their game in order to get what they wanted.<p>

* * *

><p>(…,,,…,,,)<p>

"I would like to check this book out, please? Phineas said as he handed the schematics book to the Librarian lady.

"Are you a student?" she asked strictly.

"I use to be."

"I'm sorry sir, but only students are allowed to check out books here."

Bummed out by her answer, and slight irritation of the school's policy, Phineas just nodded and left, leaving the schematics book behind.  
>Internally, he was trying to calm himself down and forget about what just happen with the two girls. Then like déjà-vu, Trent's words came back to haunt Phineas.<p>

'…the idea of your bad-boy self…excites them.'

Phineas felt a shiver run down his spine as he exited the Library, hoping to find any of his friends wandering around the campus.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Whadya know…I finished this on 1221/2012. It's not the end of the world everybody. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.  
>Review or flame if you wish.<strong>

**A few things I would like to say:**

**Happy Holidays everyone!**

**(For those who celebrate it) Merry Christmas!**

**May the victims at the Connecticut shooting rest in forever peace.**

**I hope everyone reading this has a Happy New Year!**


	19. Treachery

**Author's note: The more chapters I post, the closer this story gets to its end. Truth be told, I'm gonna be relieved when this is over, but yet disappointed…**

**I'll leave my regards and condolences at the very LAST chapter.**

**Sorry for any errors that you may pick up in this chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Treachery<strong>

Phineas sat on the curb of Maple Street in front of his old home, feeling as if an invisible, heavy weight was pressing down inside his chest. The young adult with grown out red hair was trying to filter out the events that occurred only a few hours ago. It would be a much easier process if the guys around him would take a moment of silence for Phineas to think.

"…I still can't believe I managed to pass that test without cheating." Buford gruffly stated again.

"You used a nerd to help you on all your tests, not paying attention to anything whatsoever in class," Django spoke with confusion, "but when you decide to not use a nerd on school quarter test, you get a 95!"

"Okay, I admit…I look over the graded tests before I toss 'em out."

"Obviously our boisterous brute friend has a level of concealed intellect beneath his dormant cranium mindset." Ferb pointed out.

Buford stopped what he was doing and glared at Ferb.

"Come again?" Buford demanded, not understanding what Ferb just told him. Ferb had a flat expression on his face.

"I withdraw my proposition." Ferb stated flatly.

Dusk had settled in the sky, and the moon was shining down. Street lights had flickered on and buzz with electricity and the suburban street was all quiet, giving the gang's voices more volume than usual. Django was sitting on the hood of his red car, Ferb was standing next to Buford, and Buford was rummaging through a trashcan.  
>Baljeet would've been here with the guys, but being in college, he was far too busy, unfortunately.<p>

"Why are you rummaging through a trashcan again?" Django wondered, watching Buford slam the lid down on the trashcan.

"Ya never know whatcha' gonna find..." Buford stated as he waved around a piece of paper he pulled out from the garbage, "Look! I found a coupon for a free large pizza!" Ferb snatched away the paper out from Buford's fingers, carefully read the coupon, and then handed back to Buford with a skeptical expression.

"Damn it, it expired yesterday." Buford grumbled as he crumpled up the paper and tossed it aside in the grass, not caring if he littered.  
>Ferb took notice of Phineas' silence and the blank expression on his face.<br>Walking over, Ferb put his hand on Phineas' shoulder and gave Phineas a sympathetic gaze.

"Something happen today, that's all…" Phineas replied to Ferb's silent question.

"What happen?" Django asked, hopping off the hood of his vehicle.

"Did someone fuck with ya, Dinner Bell?" Buford demanded, "I swear I will beat the living shit outta them if they're messin' with you."

"Well…they sorta did." Phineas admitting, trying his best to find the words to explain his predicament.

"Whadya mean 'sorta'?" Django asked. Phineas' mind teetered on if he should tell them or dismiss it completely.  
>Putting his trust in his friends, Phineas decided to tell them what happen.<p>

"Today I visited the school, Buford you remembered…" Phineas started.

"Of course, how could I forget?" Buford interrupted.

"Well right after that, I went to the library," Phineas resumed, "and while I was trying to read a book, two girls came up to me."

"Who?" Django asked. Phineas tried to remember, and thankfully, his memory still recalled it.

"Elizabeth…and Selena."

"The blonde and brunette?" Buford narrowed down.

"Yeah, that's them," Phineas answered, "they were flirting with me and wanting me to go to a party tonight."

"Well obviously you didn't," Django pointed out, "so what's bothering you?"

"They wanted me to fuck them." Phineas breathed. Phineas glanced up and noticed that everyone had fallen silent and were staring directly at him.

"Well what did ya tell 'em?" Buford demanded.

"I told them no I am with Isabella," Phineas explained, "but they persisted until I finally had to leave them." Ferb took a step back and rubbed the back of his head, Buford started to pace back and forth in the street, and Django had stood up and leaned on the front of his car.

"Those bitches." Buford grumbled as he paced with his hands shoved in his jacket's pockets.

"What?" Phineas asked, not fully understanding everything. After all, he _was_ gone for a year.

"They should know better..." Buford snarled, not exactly answering Phineas' question.

"Elizabeth and Selena are the social queens of the school," Django enlightened, "they are snobs that somehow managed to not only gain popularity, but also become…uh….help me out here, Ferb."

"They are 'Alpha girls'." Ferb paraphrased.

"More like Alpha Bitches." Buford added. Everyone noticed Buford's sudden change of personality and hatred towards the mentioned girls.  
>Though prone to anger and short temper, Phineas had never seen Buford out rightfully hate somebody.<p>

"What's gotten into you Buford?" Django asked what was on everyone's mind, excluding Buford.

"It just ain't right," Buford spit out, "don't they know not to fuck around with people who are in a relationship?"

Phineas felt as if he was looking at a whole different version of Buford that he had never known. The contrast between Phineas and Buford was that Buford lived up to his brutal reputation, so why did Buford all of a sudden started to care about relationships?

"Well, at least Elizabeth has some common sense to know when to stop." Django commented softly.

"She shouldn't be doin' it in the first place." Buford pointed out.

"I never knew you took relationships so seriously Buford." Phineas commented. Buford halted his pacing and casted a solemn glance at Phineas. Phineas could see the mix of seriousness and sincerity in Buford's eyes.

"I may be a bully, but I ain't heartless." Buford explained gruffly.

Stillness fell on all of them as they lounged on the suburban. Phineas was mentally trying to find something to say to kick-start the conversation again. He exhaled in defeat when he could find the exact words to say. Phineas' started to feel the weight of the situation bare down on his chest. He was still trying to comprehend how all these rumors and gossips managed to escalate, yet he felt a tiny hint of pride of accidently being the big deal in school.

Since nobody had said anything, Phineas subconsciously pulled out his phone and checked the time, which showed that it was about 7:30 PM.

"This is getting way outta hand." Django finally spoke up about the matter. Everyone nodded in agreement. Buford cracked his knuckles with a furious look in his eyes.

"We need to teach these chatters a lesson." Buford growled.

"That would only make matters worse," Django interjected, "it would be better to just let it die down on its own."

"You know how long it takes for this kinda shit to 'die down', dude?" Buford shot back as he curled his hands into fists, "I say the sooner we deal with this, the better for Dinner Bell."

"I agree with Buford." Phineas decided to interrupt. Django casted Phineas a baffled look, Buford beamed with triumph at the red head's agreement, and Ferb just gave Phineas his usual stoic stare. Apparently, Phineas still had a bit of a zealous rebel side in him still.

"I'm gonna keep getting a bad reputation if this doesn't stop," Phineas debated, "and I don't want that."

"What's wrong with a bad reputation?" Buford quickly demanded.

"It's bad cause I never did most of what people are saying I did!" Phineas explained.

"I honestly think you shouldn't bother with it at all, Phineas," Django bluntly told him as he stopped leaning on his car, "but if you really are worried about it, I would suggest you lay low for a little bit. You already caused enough uproar on campus today by just visiting."

Ferb gave a thumbs up in agreement. Buford rolled his eyes at the suggestion. Reluctantly, Phineas took Django's advice to heart.

"Alright, we'll see how it plays out." Phineas agreed with a nod of his head.

"Ha, not me," Buford scoffed, "I'm gonna snuff out these rumors tomorrow." Phineas suddenly felt his heart sunk and feared for his public image.

"I rather you not." Phineas immediately stated.  
>He would rather have himself take care of the matter than to have the boisterous, thick-headed, infamous Bones high school gang leader handle it.<p>

"Whaaatever." Buford emphasized and raised his hands up in mocking defeat. Phineas felt the weight in his chest as the atmosphere of the group started to lighten up with smiles and started to talk about other things.

"Just remember, Phineas," Django reminded one last time, "lay low."

(…,,,…,,,)

* * *

><p><strong>ONE WEEK LATER…<strong>

Phineas sat at the kitchen table; his elbows resting on the table and thumbs rubbing his forehead. His eyes glanced over at the nearby clock that displayed 9:03 AM. Even though his stomach rumbled for food, Phineas was too deep in thought to notice his own body's functions.

He had done what Django had suggested, but that didn't bring any peace to his mind. He had found himself wondering about his image amongst the high school peers too many times. Phineas admittedly considered that he was on the border line of obsession. He didn't want to have a bad-boy reputation; he wanted to be known for who he truly was and not from what others have believed.

'This whole 'laying low' isn't exactly working out.' Phineas mentally told himself as he sulked. It wasn't a theory, it was plain truth. Buford had surprisingly been able to handle most of the rumors about Phineas, much to Phineas' relief. However, after only a day, a bunch of new rumors spouted up amidst the Danville High student population. A few of them were minor, such as Phineas hitting the road on his motorcycle again and the rumor about Phineas' hair actually being dyed red. A majority were foremost bothersome, like Phineas being a party animal, and that Phineas had gone 'emo'. There were only a few, however, that concerned Phineas the most.

It was rumored that Phineas was a no-good punk and a criminal that hasn't been proven guilty.

People have said that Phineas is a player and is cheating on his girlfriend.

Others have spoken about Phineas being a murderer because somebody forgot to pay money they owed him.

He found out about all of this through Irving, whom he had asked for him to keep him updated. It was certain: these rumors and gossips were driving Phineas crazy.  
>All Phineas wanted to do was make it stop. Suddenly it all became clear to Phineas.<p>

"I know what I'm gonna do today." Phineas uttered and sat up, but the loud grumble of his stomach spoke louder than his words. "Right after I eat…"

When he got up to rummage around the pantry, a thought came across his mind: the thought of how long it would actually take for him to accomplish his goal as smoothly as possible.

After all, it was all about timing.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER IN THE AFTERNOON…<strong>

The sun was starting to go down over Danville when Phineas parked his motorcycle and started to head over to the main office. The visitor policy that Danville High required bugged Phineas a bit, but he understood the safety that the policy strived to fulfill.

Phineas' disbelief that he came during a class period was dismissed when he saw the students of Danville High bustling about the campus grounds and hanging out on the courtyard grass. Wanting to avoid causing another stir just like his previous visit, Phineas carefully chose to take the indirect detour to the main office through the network of hallways.

Passing by fewer people than he would on the original route, fewer students casted brief glances at Phineas before continuing whatever they were doing. Whether they eyed him with curiosity or glared at him with suspicion, Phineas ignored them as he made his way to the main office.

With every step he took, his heart beat with vigor and his mind was fully alert. Phineas felt confident and determined that he would be able to disperse all these rumors about him, and that would be the end of this 'bad boy' nonsense.

* * *

><p>(…)<p>

"Hey Elizabeth, guess what?"

Elizabeth mentally groaned as she lifted her head out of her arms and lazily stared at the person that was in front of her desk. Elizabeth's eyes gazed leisurely at the cleavage hovering in front of her before she averted her eyes and looked up at the person's face. It took her a full second to recognize who had awoken her.

"What is it Selena?" Elizabeth muttered, reluctantly keeping her eyes open.

"Phineas is here." Selena informed, almost in a whispering manner.

"Phineas?"

"Flynn."

"Oh…" Elizabeth mumbled before her eyes closed and her head plopped down on her desk, quickly falling fast asleep. Selena tussled her friend's brunette hair in order to keep her awake. Elizabeth just raised her eyes and idly glared at Selena.

"Well, are we gonna do this or not?" Selena asked impatiently. A momentary paused followed before Elizabeth remembered what they both intended to do. For a brief moment, Elizabeth was taken aback that her friend was acting serious about what they intended while she herself thought they were kidding. Feeling that her main priority was to catch some shut eye, Elizabeth completely ignored Selena's pleas.

"You do it…" Elizabeth's voice trailed off as she went back to sleep.

"But you wanted to do it, too!" Selena glowered quietly and tried to wake up her friend. To no avail, Elizabeth continued to take her nap. Huffing off in frustration, Selena decided that she would have to do this on her own.

* * *

><p>(…)<p>

Phineas exited the main office, idly smoothing out the visitor's sticker that stuck to his shirt so it would look proper. Immediately after he stepped into the hallway, several students bunched together started to cast quick glances and lower their voices to barely audible whispers.

Still trying to avoid attention, Phineas took a few steps down the hall; not watching where he was going.

"Hey, Phineas!" Irving greeted optimistically, seemingly to appear out of nowhere.  
>Irving's sudden appearance jolted Phineas, causing him to stop before he had ran into the fan boy.<p>

"Irving!" Phineas exclaimed as quietly as he could, "When did you get here?"

"You were too busy trying not to avoid attention to notice me standing here." Irving answered. Phineas gave him a void look of skepticism, which Irving returned with a smile.

"That," Irving continued, "and this is my locker."

He banged on his open locker on the wall for emphasis. Phineas saw that the locker was cluttered with papers, books, and pencils. It was an organized mess.

"Or you just saw right over my head." Irving added as he closed his locker with a quiet clank.

"Irving, do you know where I can find the others?" Phineas bluntly asked. Due to years of knowing them, Irving knew exactly what he meant.

"They're on the West end of the campus," Irving replied while fixing his glasses, "good luck with getting by unnoticed."

With that, Irving turned around and walked off, leaving Phineas standing by himself in the hall.  
>It took Phineas a moment to reorient himself and head off in the direction of West.<p>

The reason why he sought out his friends, primarily Buford, was to either put an end to all of this nonsense about himself, or to start new rumors. Phineas had thought up that backup plan in case his first plan of action failed. He would start good rumors that would redeem his infamous reputation.

As he walked, he mentally weighed the two choices in his head: one putting an official end to this rumor business, and the other boosting his social standings.

* * *

><p>(…)<p>

Rounding the corner, Selena spotted the red-headed male walking off in the opposite route.

The mere sight of him made her swoon; and the thought of her plan working caused her body to shudder with pleasure.

Bringing herself back to the matter at hand, Selena quietly started to trail after Phineas, waiting for the perfect moment.

* * *

><p>(…)<p>

Phineas quickened his pace through the hallway, passing around the cluster of students in pursuit of his friends. Not knowing how much time had passed, he deemed that he had only a few minutes before everybody started to head home. Up ahead, his eyes spotted his love and his heart fluttered for a second.

Isabella was just up ahead getting things out of her locker.

With a mixture of relief and joy, Phineas inhaled and was about to shout out her name to get her attention.

"Hey Flynn," a familiar girl voice interrupted from behind, "what are you doing here?"

Wondering who was talking to him, Phineas turned around and found a stunning blonde classmate standing right there.  
>Something clicked in his mind about the girl who stood before him; it was either how attractive the girl was, or that she knew his last name.<p>

In a moment, he found himself torn between ignoring the girl to continue his original idea, or being polite and taking time to talk to the girl. Being the person he was, he decided to do both.

"Oh hey…uhh.." Phineas greeted. His mind drew a blank trying to remember the girl's name.

"It's Selena." blonde girl whispered and moved closer to Phineas; to which in response he took a step back.

"Oh…right." Phineas' voice trailed off. He really needed to get moving now. Selena suddenly snaked her arms around Phineas' neck and pulled him close.  
>Realizing what Selena was doing, and finally remembering the last encounter he had with her, Phineas tried to pull away from her grasp.<p>

"What's the hurry Flynn?" Selena asked slyly, pressing her body closer to Phineas'. The touch of Selena's body and cloths against him caused Phineas to blush and his judgment fog up. His brain seemed to be screaming at his body to move, but his body vaguely picked up the stimuli.

Phineas' head snapped over his shoulder and caught sight of Isabella closing her locker. Firmly, Phineas placed his hands on Selena's arms and started to pry them off of him.

"Listen Selena, I gotta get going." Phineas managed to say with his trembling voice.

It was at that moment that he noticed how fast his heart was beating and that his voice was losing its steadiness. Once he had removed himself from Selena's embrace, he started to make his way over to Isabella. He barely took a step before a hand snatched the sleeves of his shirt.

"Not before..._this_!" Selena huffed as she yanked Phineas to the side.

The abrupt force that she used was enough to pull Phineas off his shoes. There was a clank as Phineas' back was slammed against the lockers on the wall, followed by a dull cold pain in his back that took his breath away.

Before Phineas could even comprehend or react to what was happening, Selena had closed the gap between them and crashed her lips onto Phineas'.

Phineas went wide-eyed at what was happening to him.  
>His entire body flared up and he tried to push her off, but Selena was firm in her work and kept Phineas pinned to the lockers. He tried again, but his hands accidently grabbed ahold of her chest. In panic, he withdrew his hands while Selena moaned with pleasure. Her forceful kisses stifled any noise that Phineas attempted to make.<p>

Phineas closed his eyes; his brain calling up a bunch of suggestions on how he should act.

Regretfully, one of his ideas were to give into the kiss.  
>Fortunately, the hard gut feeling at the bottom of his heart drove that idea out of his head.<br>The bitter-sweet tang of cherry lip gloss, the foreign tongue snaking around his tongue, and the moaning in his mouth only contributed to his wish to get her off.

Suddenly, he heard Isabella gasp.

Without hesitation, Phineas grabbed Selena's shoulders and shoved her back. Selena gasped as she was thrown off by the unexpected strength that Phineas had. When Phineas opened his eyes, he found himself looking at the hungry eyes of Selena.  
>He could see a glint of seducing rage in her eyes.<p>

Phineas glanced to his left and immediately spotted his girlfriend standing still in the hallway.

Isabella had dropped her backpack on the floor and was staring at Phineas with a horrified expression; one that pained him to see. Either he knew her to well or the fact that it was obvious, Phineas could see the tears building up in Isabella's eyes. Immediately, Phineas knew the position he was in and how it made him look. To make matters worse, everyone else in the hallway had stopped to stare at what was going on. This was definitely _not _what he had planned.

Before he could do anything, he spotted Selena moving out of the corner of his eye.

"Whatcha doin' Isabella?" Selena taunted with a devilish smile. Isabella's face formed into a scowl and she stormed over to Selena without a word.  
>Phineas felt a hint of fear and pity towards Selena for what was about to happen.<p>

"Whatcha gonna do to me, skank?" Selena continued to go off, throwing up her arms back. "Come on! Let's see what that sorry excuse of girl-scouting has taught ya!"

Doing this only sent a provoking invitation for Isabella to deal the first strike, and Isabella didn't need an invitation.

Faster than he had ever her move before, Isabella spun around and delivered a kick to Selena's face. Everyone fell silent as Selena screamed in pain and fell to the hard floor. Selena started to sob as she laid face first on the ground.

"It's called Fireside Girls!" Isabella spat in fury. Casting one last glare at Phineas, who hadn't moved at all, Isabella briskly tramped away. Finally snapping to his senses, Phineas rushed to speak to Isabella, leaving the crowd and the downed Selena behind.

* * *

><p>(…)<p>

"Isabella, wait!" Phineas called after, but she didn't stop or turn around. Isabella only quickened her pace as Phineas tried to reach her.

"Isabella!" he tried again, but still to no avail.

Fortunately, Isabella stopped at the end of the hallway door exit, her back still facing Phineas.  
>Feeling relieved that she had stopped, Phineas came up and tugged on her backpack.<p>

"Isabella," Phineas started to say, "I can explai-"

Isabella swiftly turned around. Phineas managed to catch a glimpse of the anger on Isabella's face before her fist collided across his cheek. A dull thud echoed in Phineas' mind and the solidified pain burned on his cheek. Phineas stumbled back from the blow, also losing his balance and falling to the ground.

Glancing up, his eyes met with Isabella's, which were on the edge of crying.

For a second, the two stared at each other like if they were strangers.

Then emotion flowed back into Isabella's face. Instead of the pure anger that she showed only moments ago, Isabella's emotions only displayed hurt.

"Isabella…" was all that Phineas' voice could muster.

With a broken heart, Isabella pass through the exit, leaving Phineas on the ground.  
>Despite all the feelings that swelled inside of him, his mind somehow remained clear for his thoughts.<p>

"What have I done?"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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><p><strong>Author's note: I am glad that this chapter is over. Due to school, laziness, writer's-block, TV shows, and job-searching, this chapter took longer to create than expected. For those who are still sticking with this story, I would like to thank you for your patience. <strong>

**As always, I accept all sorts of criticism in the reviews.**

**Another thing: Did any of the characters seem a bit OOC? Or were they in as much character as possible for a FanFiction story?**


	20. Information

**Author's note: The closer this story gets to the end, the harder I find my ability to write…curse you writer's block. Though writer's block is not all to blame for the lack of progress…I am partially to blame as well. In the last few months, I've been searching for a part-time job, managing football, dealing with mental burnout, and suffering personal tragedy (my dog's condition degrades everyday). By all means, this is not an excuse; this is just an explanation to why it has taken so long to update this story.**

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><p><strong>Information<strong>

Phineas felt his sunken heart beat in his chest and swell with rampant emotions. It was affecting him so much that he had to pull over his motorcycle into a public parking lot to vent his thoughts and feelings. As much as he tried to deny, it was a well-known fact that driving with raging testosterones was hazardous, to one's self and to others. Instead of having an emotional breakdown to release all the dammed up emotions, Phineas just silently contemplated what had happen and the sorrow that he felt. As he drove, he felt his emotions press against him.

It was a real let-down for him. All he wanted to do was to go to Danville High School and make things right. He was so hell bent on making things right that he had failed to think of the possibility of not having things go his way. The only thing that he accomplished was that he made things worse and he was punched in the face. He grimaced at the memory as he twitched the cheek that Isabella punched; it had eventually faded from an astonishing blow into a reminding sharp sting on tender flesh.

In truth, this was all Selena's fault. Had she not done this, he would not be in this situation right now. Now taking time to reflect on everything that led up to this, including his previous visit when he first met Selena, Phineas realized that Selena had a week's worth of planning to do this. He wanted to put all of the blame on Selena, but after he witness Isabella take her out with a single punch, Phineas felt only slight pity for her and couldn't. He felt that he was just as responsible for letting it take place as she was to doing it.

Whether the other girl who had hit on him was a part of it or not, Phineas would never know. What Phineas did know, however, was that he needed to explain things with Isabella as soon as possible. As he started up his motorcycle again, Phineas was already putting together the facts and events and forming them into a plausible justification/apology for his girlfriend. Even as he started putting this all together, a trace of doubt that his words would suffice crossed his mind. He was just as likely to make things worse as to make them better.

There was only one thing Phineas could be certain of at this point: he was going to do his best to make things right again.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER IN THE AFTERNOON…<strong>

Phineas turned his V-Rod and eased onto the street where his house was. Much to his disappointment, Isabella's pink Cadillac was absent from the driveway. He had the urge to pull out his phone and call Isabella to find out where she was, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it; he had too much anger and hurt to have common sense at the moment. Phineas figured that something was going on somewhere because there were plenty of vehicles parked on the street. Driving down the middle of the street and easing his way into the driveway, Phineas cut the ignition and parked his motorcycle; he would put it in the garage later.

The young red-headed adult gravely cut across the grass and over to the front door. As we walked, he mind idly noted and identified his surroundings: the soft buzzing of the lit street lights, the soothing sound of grasshoppers, the cool evening air quietly breezing through his hair.

Phineas realized that his mind was doing it again: taking notice of the simplest things and details that were common everyday things he had blankly ignored. The last time Phineas' mind was like this was when he was at the hospital.  
>The dreadful situation and how it had went down surged back to Phineas. The robber, the gun, the panic, Cullen bleeding out on the ground, him almost losing his life; at once, all of those memories scratched at his process of thought.<p>

Feeling as if he was shoving a block, Phineas pushed those memories aside and focused on the present, which had its own case of strain. Fumbling for the house key, Phineas sarcastically thought that this problem that he faced now wasn't as traumatic as nearly being killed and that he should not be weighed down by it. With that thought in his head, he grimly smiled as he unlocked and opened his door.

* * *

><p>Right as he entered, Phineas was snatched by his collar by two hands and yanked inside, a rugged sack being slipped over his head. Shock and fear ran through Phineas as he attempted to fight back and remove the sack from his head, which was now trying to cover his entire body.<br>Before he could remove the sack from his head, another pair of hands, strong hands, clamped down on the sack and him. It was only then amidst all the panic and rage did Phineas bother to think about shouting for help, hoping that any neighbors would hear it.

Phineas shouted at the top of his lungs for help, but his voice was muffled by the sack that engulfed his body. Instincts took control over him as he fought back blindly against his attackers, throwing himself in all directions in an effort to break free from his captors. Before he had any success of wedging himself free, a hand secured his left shoulder and pinched a nerve. The last thing Phineas felt was a sharp, hot sting run up the back of his neck and into his brain before he completely blacked out.

* * *

><p>Feeling as if a second had passed, Phineas' eyes snapped open, instantly remembering the danger he was in. Before the adrenaline spiked him into an all out attack, his eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings. The first thing he saw was his friends, specifically, the guys.<p>

"Wha…?" was all Phineas could say, the burning adrenaline dying down but still shocked nonetheless.

"About time you woke up." Django said, leaning on the side of the chair that Phineas was sitting on. Phineas then realized that the room that they were in was the Study room, and all the guys were jam-packed into it with hardly any room to move around in.

"That was the first time I carried a bag with someone in it that wasn't squirming." Buford remarked.  
>Behind him stood the three other members of his Bones gang: Robert, Whiz, and George.<br>All of them, except for the naturally high George, looked uncomfortable with the amount of space.

'So that was them...' Phineas' mind easefully acknowledged, comprehending that there weren't robbers in his house. However, confusion quickly filled Phineas' mind.

"Why are you guys in my house?" Phineas asked, trying to turn his head. When he turned it to the left, the hot sting burned in the back of Phineas' skull. Wincing, he clapped his hand over the spot where it stung and jerked his head back to facing straight.

"Sorry about that," Ferb apologized, standing next to the bookshelf, "you were struggling too much."

"Why are you guys in my house?" Phineas repeated himself.

"Because of what happen this afternoon." Django answered in a serious tone. Phineas slowly stared at everyone in the room. The mentioning of what took place made Phineas want to blurt out that it wasn't his fault, but he held his words for fear that something might be misinterpreted and taken the wrong way. Deciding against letting his feelings control his words, Phineas sighed and gathered his thoughts. His shoulders suddenly felt burdened and his throat turned dry.

"Can we at least go into the living room?" Phineas requested. Simultaneously, all the guys agreed and did their best to file out of the Study room. After several attempts, shoves, and exchanged curse words, the young adults were able to migrate over to the living room.

"You got one chance to clear ya name up Dinner Bell," Buford warned as they walked down the short hallway, "after the condition you left Isabella in…" his voice trailed off at the end, but the red-haired, triangular headed male knew what he was saying. At the comprehension of that, hurt and sorrow stabbed Phineas directly in his heart and punctuated his gut; but he showed no sign of it as he entered the living room.  
>Quietly, Phineas plopped himself down and sank into the couch cushions while everyone else found their own spot. Carefully, he eyed everyone around him. Buford held a grim expression, Django was tiredly focused, Ferb was as stoic as ever, Robert was squeezing his fists and itching to punch something, and George had that glimpse in his eyes that showed he was focused on something in his mind. Oddly, Whiz was the only one who showed some concern.<p>

"Please, tell us everything." Whiz requested.

Ferb looked at Phineas and raised his eyebrows in disbelief, his eyes agreeing with Whiz. Phineas took a deep breath, distancing his emotions from the truth, and began to tell the truth. He began his explanation the last weekend when they all agreed to do nothing about his devious reputation for a week.

"Err…we agreed on that?" Buford interrupted sheepishly. Before anyone could answer, Robert spoke up.

"Wait a second, was that why you weren't with us when we went to that party?" Robert butted in.

"Yeah, so?" Buford answered his most violent gang member's question.

"Dude, that's like…abandoning us." George's voice trailed off.

"Shut it George." Buford snapped.

"He's got a point." Robert added grudgingly. Whiz reeled back in his seat and smacked his forehead while Django let out an irritated sigh. As usual, Ferb did nor said nothing.

"Can we please just focus on what Phineas has to say without interruptions?" Django requested.

Remembering why they were all here, the bickering Bones members and their leader fell silent. Phineas simply nodded and silently thanked Django before he resumed telling his story. He skipped over the boring week that followed their agreement and related to what had happen in the morning. His thoughts his actions, he told them the entire thing. Of course he paraphrased a few things here and there, but Phineas mostly told what had exactly happened.

As he continued to speak, his voice started to wear down till felt as if he was talking without emotion and his brain began to hurt from suddenly being able to recall everything that had occurred only hours ago.  
>A part of him wanted to stop and take a break from explaining all of this, but Phineas pushed on and continued; he knew that his mind wouldn't be able to retain as clearly as he could now.<br>While Phineas told everything, the guys around him were listening…more or less.  
>Ferb and Whiz were taking in all that Phineas was saying, Django was listening while trying to fight off his own sleepiness, Robert and Buford were shifting and moving in their seats every few seconds or so, and George was quietly staring at the ceiling. Phineas told them everything: his arrival, his searching, and his encounter with Selena.<p>

The mere mention of Selena brought back the thoughts feelings of what had occurred between him and her. Phineas could almost feel her lips against his, taste of bitter-sweet cherry lip gloss, feel her tongue invading his mouth, and hear the sexual moans that escaped into his ears. A shudder went down Phineas' spine as he persistent to tell what happen. His body started to heat up as he relayed the events, much to his discomfort. When the heat became a bit too uncomfortable, he momentarily paused to shift into a new position on the couch. He then picked up where he left off: the part where Selena was mocking Isabella.

Even now it still pained his heart to mention Isabella, yet he proceeded to tell them how Isabella landed a round house kick on Selena's face. When _that_ was mentioned, everyone in the room stirred with attention. Django finally snapped out of his drowsy state, Ferb blinked a few times, and Buford and his gang just gawked at what Phineas had said. George, however, was the only one who did not react.

"Damn, I wish I coulda seen that." Buford mumbled. Phineas felt slightly better that they were all impressed and found enough voice to shake off his hoarseness and to speak normally. Phineas then told them what happen next. He had tried to talk to Isabella to clear everything up and to tell her that it was a misunderstanding.

"I don't think I would call it a 'misunderstanding'." Django interrupted. Despite being interrupted, Phineas had to agree. Misunderstanding was the _least_ he should call it.

"Well what would ya call it then?" Robert wondered.

"A catastrophe…" George suddenly spoke up as he continued to stare at the ceiling, "a major miscommunication…a tragedy…a disaster…a rendering heartbreak…"

"Shut up, George!" Buford snapped with irritation plastered on his face.

"What? I'm just sayin'." George shrugged and brought his gaze from the ceiling to Phineas. Whiz just sighed and requested for Phineas to continue.

"Yeah, please do…this is getting interesting." George remarked.

The fact that George, the most lay-back and naturally high person Phineas had every met, was or had been paying attention this entire time was odd. Phineas had assumed that the foolish, strange, out-of-it Bones gang member was ignoring his words. Mentally, Phineas instructed himself to never assume things again.

Picking up where he left off, Phineas briefly went into detail about how he tried to talk to Isabella and how she had punched him in the face.

"Awe that's nice," Buford chuckled, "now I don't hafta punch you."

Now the interruptions were becoming a bit bothersome to Phineas. Luckily, he was just about over with the story for there to be any more interruptions.

'Unless everyone decided to ask 21 questions and remarks in the next minute.' Phineas dryly joked to himself before he finished up with telling what happen. When he finally finished, the room was silent. Taking a deep breath, Phineas realized that it had been a very long time since he had last talked this long and serious. His head also hurt, but it also felt a bit more clear and lucid than before. Phineas felt the encumbering weight on his shoulders, head, and chest slowly withdraw from him.  
>Meanwhile, he could practically feel his words settling into the minds of his friends. Now his only wished was that they would believe him. When nobody spoke for a few seconds, Ferb leaned over and stared sincerely and directly at Phineas.<p>

"Was all of that true?" Ferb simply asked. Even though the question was plain and simple, Phineas could hear the sympathy and soft concern in his step-brother's voice. Raising his eyes to meet his step-brother's gaze, Phineas drew assurance from Ferb's non-spoken understanding.

"Yes."

Another beat of silence.

"Well that explains it." Whiz muttered and got up from his seat. Everyone else rose from their place, including Phineas. A dawning feeling started to overcome Phineas' gut, as if something good was going to happen. After everyone worked out the stiffness out of them, they all stood silent for a moment. Before awkwardness set in, Django was the first to speak up and prevent it.

"We better get going to Adyson's then." Django concluded while he dug around in his pocket for his car key.

"Uh, why?" Phineas wondered as he watched his friends and step-brother make their way to the front door.

"Cause that's where Isabella is." Django enlightened.

Immediately, Phineas felt the invisible weight return and press down on him. Shifting uneasily, Phineas managed to move his legs and joined the rest of the guys heading out.

"Why'd she hafta go to Adyson's?" Buford groaned once they passed out the threshold of the front door. Phineas double checked everything inside before he stepped out and locked the front door behind them. The red sun was barely dipping behind the horizon and the street lights buzzed even brighter. Phineas mounted his silver V-Rod motorcycle, Django and Ferb sat in their own separate cars, and Buford and the Bones gang crammed into Buford's truck.

"Hope ya can remember all that ya told us." George advised Phineas from the back of Buford's truck as all their motors stuttered and roared to life. Phineas grimly smiled at the remark as the carpool of vehicles started to move. One by one, the vehicles rolled out and drove their way to Adyson's house in the waning light of the afternoon. Even though Phineas wasn't too certain that everything was going to be alright, his gut feeling and familiar optimism told him that this would be settled by the end of the night.

That, he was certain of.

* * *

><p><strong>SEVERAL MINUTES LATER…<strong>

Parking his motorcycle alongside the curb in front of Adyson's house, Phineas dismounted his silver V-Rod and joined the other guys who had gathered on the sidewalk. The last rays of the sun were slowly vanishing and the streetlights and porch lights lit up the neighborhood. Phineas took a deep breath and braced himself as he took a step towards Adyson's house. Or he would have until a big hand caught his chest and roughly stopped him.

"Hold up Dinner Bell," Buford grumbled as he stepped past Phineas, "ya might wanna let me and Django go first." Phineas gave Buford a confused look before he casted his glance over at Django. The artist just shrugged and joined Buford in the front. Fighting back the urge to argue with them, Phineas allowed the two to take point.

"Do you think she's that pissed?" Django asked.

"Oh yeah, she's pissed." Buford said tiredly as they approached the front door.

Those words didn't exactly bring relief to Phineas; they only added to the nervousness that swelled inside of him. Silently reading his step-brother's emotions, Ferb gently patted Phineas' shoulder with a supporting hand.  
>After Buford rang the doorbell, it was a mere few seconds before the door opened up and revealed Adyson standing in the entrance.<p>

"Guys, now's not really-" Adyson started to say before her eyesight locked with Phineas'. Immediately, Adyson darted forward with her hands ready to strangle to red-head's neck; fortunately, Buford and Django restrained her as soon as she had lunged forward. Her sudden burst of movement and anger made Phineas flinch back a step.

"Leg'go of me Buford!" Adyson snapped angrily.

"No way girl!" Buford retorted. Despite Buford and Django's efforts to hold her back, Phineas still feared that Adyson would somehow break free and charge straight at him. Years ago, Phineas wouldn't have a problem fighting a girl if one every took a swing at him. Now, however, he was _very_ hesitant. The fact that the girl was Adyson Sweetwater, girlfriend of Buford Van Stomm, merely made him more nervous.

"Calm down Adyson!" Buford instructed as he struggled to hold her firmly. Django was having far less luck than Buford, but the two were determined to hold her back for Phineas' sake.

"I'm gonna break your nose Flynn!" Adyson threatened through clenched teeth. Now seeing Adyson in this sort of state, Phineas was thankful that he had taken Buford's advice on letting them go first. Still, the fact that someone on the verge of causing serious injury to him was only a few feet away had put Phineas on edge.

"Let's not do anything irrational Adyson!" Django advised as he forcefully held her back. Taking in his words, Adyson gradually ceased to struggle against Django and Buford's grips and was soon glaring daggers straight into Phineas' eyes.

"I should pummel you senseless after the way you left Isabella." Adyson said in a low voice, never taking her eyes off of Phineas. The familiar pain of hurt and remorse pinged at his heart at the mention of Isabella's state; at the moment, he was the only one who had not seen her said condition. Phineas managed to stand his ground and look Adyson straight in the eye. Yes he found it very hard, but Phineas was determined not to back down out of shame and fault for his mistake. He would face it head on, even if it had by some bizarre circumstance manifested itself into Adyson Sweetwater.

"Trust me, I wanted to, too," Buford added to Adyson's remark, "but it wasn't all Dinner Bell's fault."  
>Adyson jerked her expression at Buford, but Phineas could see anger draining from her face…at an ever-so-slow pace.<p>

"What?" Adyson demanded, finally loosening up her jaw.

"Phineas never meant to kiss Selena." Django answered. Adyson exchanged looks between her restrainers before her gaze settled upon Phineas again. Django slowly released Adyson, followed by Buford a few moments later. Thankfully, Adyson's anger had died down to the point where she wouldn't lunge at Phineas' nose. Feeling that he should be the one talking instead of Buford and Django talking for him, Phineas gathered his words in his throat and spoke.

"I can explain everything," Phineas said as calm and firm as he could, "but first I need to talk to Isabella."

Adyson stared at him for a good couple of seconds before she finally made up her mind.

"Alright," Adyson sighed and folded her arms together, "but it better be good explanation." It was at that moment that Adyson realized the other guys standing behind and beside Phineas. Taking a quick glance over her shoulder, she stepped back and ushered all of them in.

"You guys better not break anything." she warned the seven guys as they entered. Once she had closed and locked the door, Adyson motioned Phineas to follow. The two made their way through the house, and before long, they stood in front of a closed door to a lighted room. Adyson opened the door and Phineas stepped in.

Gretchen, Ginger, Milly, Holly, and Katie were in the room, but Phineas' eyes draw towards the one individual who sat on the edge of the bed. The girls gasped at the sight of Phineas. Phineas' heart sunk at the sight that beheld him: the state that Isabella was in.

Isabella's eyes met with Phineas', faintly showing signs of red. Dry tear streaks ran down her cheeks from her eyes and her nose was red from using tissues, which were now scattered at her feet. Though she didn't look like a mess, Isabella's hair was slightly astray, and her cloths had wrinkles in them. Her eyes shown that she ran out of tears long ago. Her body appeared to be frail and fragile to touch. Her face displayed the sadness and pain that he had caused. Her eyes showed the hurt that she was experiencing even now.

Phineas wanted right then and there to go over and give her a comforting hug, but something told him that now wasn't the time. Before he could do or say anything, the other girls in the room were just about to rush at him in a flurry of motion before Adyson stepped in.

"Before we tear this idiot a new one," Adyson spoke up in time, "let's hear him out."  
>Reluctantly, the other girls backed down. Sensing the opportunity, Phineas took a few steps and stood before Isabella. Finding nothing he could sit on, Phineas knelt down on the carpet with one knee. Isabella had hung her head and was staring at the floor littered with used, crumpled tissues.<p>

There was a moment of silence before anything was said.

"Isabella?" Phineas finally spoke. Isabella raised her head and looked Phineas in the eye. Phineas could see fury combined with distress glazed in her eyes.

"What is it Phineas?" Isabella's voice croaked.

Taking a breath, Phineas told her the truth.

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><p><strong>LATER…<strong>

Ferb watched as the clock ticked away, the short hand almost passing the ten; they had officially been in Adyson's house for an hour.

Noting the time, he estimated that Phineas and Isabella had been alone in Adyson's bedroom for half an hour now.  
>Ferb quickly discarded his primordial thoughts of what they could be doing, knowing that the two were in no such state to do so. He had brought himself up better than to think thoughts like that.<p>

Contemplating whether he should get up off his seat or stay put, Ferb glanced around and took in his surroundings.  
>Whiz and Django were talking with Gretchen, Holly, Ginger, Milly, and Katie in the kitchen.<br>Buford and Adyson were in the atrium, having a surprisingly normal conversation, as far as Ferb could tell. Neither of them were arguing or yelling at each other as they would usually do.  
>He silently questioned on how they had managed to stay together for so long, but he already knew the answer.<p>

'Buford did always have a soft center,' Ferb thought mentally, 'Adyson just happen to get to it first.'

Meanwhile, George was passed out and asleep on the leather couch across from him and Robert was watching the news on TV.  
>Finally settling on a decision, Ferb got up from his seat. Glancing at the clock again, he figured he should go check on his step-brother and his step-brother's girlfriend.<p>

Ferb was completely respectful of privacy, no doubt; but being a man of action and not words, listening only comes naturally. It is also natural that curiosity sometimes gets the better of him. Luckily, he wasn't a man of gossip, else he would have been able to blackmail and ruin a full list of people.

Making his way towards Adyson's closed bedroom, Ferb quietly went about, still thinking in his head. He heard no shouting, no sounds of skin impacting against skin, and no noises of things shattering; nothing but silence, a good sign.

Before he knocked, he stopped and lowered his knuckles.  
>On the other hand, Ferb could think of a few worst-case scenarios that had terrible outcomes, all of them corresponding with silence.<br>Filled with slight worry, Ferb raised his hand again and prepared to knock.

Just as Ferb was about to knock on the door to Adyson's bedroom, the doorknob turned and the door creaked open. In front of Ferb stood Phineas and Isabella.

Phineas had a bashful expression on his face, and Isabella bore a timid smile. Both of their facial features vanished when they saw the tall green-haired British boy.  
>Ferb's curiosity on their wellbeing had been satisfied and he had no need to linger around any longer.<br>Still, he figured that he had better give an explanation to why they found him standing outside the door.  
>It was only reasonable.<p>

"I was just on my way to see how you two were doing." Ferb told them, his facial expression remaining the same as ever.

Phineas gave a warm smile as Isabella moved closer to Phineas, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I think things are going to be just fine," Isabella said with a faint smile, her voice renewed with a touch of calm content, "thanks for checking up on us though, Ferb."

Ferb simply nodded and turned around. As he made his way back, he reflected on his own momentary ignorance. In retrospect, if the same thing could keep Buford and Adyson together no matter how much they fought, the same thing could keep Phineas and Isabella together no matter the hurt.  
>He just wondered why he was momentarily oblivious to the fact.<p>

To any other unacquainted bystander, this sort of information would be more or less interesting.  
>To audiences who love affection, this sort of information would bring joy into their hearts.<br>To those who were immature, this sort of information would make them gag.  
>To Ferb, this sort of information only confirmed what he had always known about the two.<p>

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

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><p><strong>Author's note: I thought I would give a try at a slight change in style of story-telling. I think I did ok, but I'm just going to let yall decide.<br>Nobody was OOC, were they? Was this chapter worth the wait? Or do never want to see my work again?  
>Again, that's for yall to decide, I respect all criticism. <strong>

**Dear anonymous reviewer 'Noahknife', please do not go lick a bear simply because I give you this shout out. I do not know how you would be able to lick a fully grown and dangerous bear, but I strongly advise you not to carry out your hazardous intention.**

**Thank you for your support and criticism everyone.**


	21. Bliss

**Author's note: I will explain my delay at the end of this chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Bliss<strong>

Nearly two weeks had passed since Phineas Flynn last stepped foot in Danville High School, though it had seemed like years. It wasn't that he was banned from returning, Phineas simply saw no need to return. He had lived life away from the social web of high school before and found it easy to do so again. While Phineas had began to worry about what others might think of him after the incident, days passed before it slowly dawned on him that their opinions did not matter at all. They were mere high school students. By the end of the first week, he realized that the only judgments that mattered were those of his friends, his family, and that of Isabella.

From the bits of information that he heard from Buford and Django, the incident was still widely mentioned in the daily gossip, the Dean of Students had enforced a penalty for any public displays of affection, and Selena had received a broken nose. An old part of Phineas felt general pity for Selena, even after everything she did, and wished that he could have known about her whereabouts. His tough mentality he had gained on the road, however, instantly tempted him to reject any sort of sympathy for Selena. With Phineas' newfound mindset, he was able to make a compromise of the two.

A newfound mindset.

Only when Phineas stopped to think about it did he realize that his overall mentality had changed since he had returned. Before he had returned to Danville, Phineas remembered how inflamed his brain felt every day and how he could feel his brain muscles churn in efforts to produce and recall information. Now with the suppression of hormones slowly subsiding, Phineas' mind started to clear, albeit very slowly. He could remember the feeling of the clear mind that he had when he was his imaginative younger self; a time when thoughts and ideas were transparent and instant.  
>The concept of the brain brought up another question: if his brain was merely going through change, did he still have the same creative capabilities he had when he was younger?<p>

"_Phin_-eeeaaas?" a cute voice drawled out. Phineas blinked before he turned his head to the owner of the voice. Isabella was laying down on the couch he was leaning back on, working on her homework for the last few weeks of high school she had left. Phineas' eyes flashed over to the eraser end of a pencil that was just about to poke his head.

"You kinda zoned out there." Isabella remarked as she pulled her pencil away from Phineas' head.

"Oh…sorry," Phineas apologized as he shook his head, "I was just thinking." Isabella stopped working and casted a glance over at the red-haired boy.

"Thinking about what?" Isabella probed. Phineas felt his mind shift as he sought the words to say.

"About adolescence and how it affects the brain." Phineas replied, leaning his head back and resting it on Isabella's torso. "You remember all those inventions Ferb and I built when we were younger?"

"Of course, how could anyone forget?"

"I was thinking if we were that brilliant when we were young," Phineas explained, casting a glance over at his girlfriend, "do you think we can still imagine and create projects like those again?" Isabella smiled endearingly and ran her fingers through her boyfriend's red hair. Phineas absent mindedly eased his head into her hand. Isabella giggled as she withdrew her hand and returned her attention to her ever apparent homework.

"_You_," Isabella emphasized as she overlooked her paper, "did all those things, and unless you were replaced by a robot, I'm sure that you're the same brilliant boy I fell in love with."

Before he could be swayed by her sweet words, Phineas ran the sentence through his head again. Smirking, he gave Isabella a knowing look and decided to play around.

"You do know that _that's_ possible, right?" Phineas asked rhetorically. Isabella looked up from her homework and stared at Phineas, her lips forming a flirtous smile.

"Then there's only _one_ way to find out." Isabella commented. Phineas' mind went blank, and Isabella could see it clearly in the way he knitted his eyebrows together. Despite growing up, his own naivety still showed through his confusion. Leaning forward with a smirk, Isabella planted a kiss on the tip of Phineas' nose and pulled back. Phineas' confused expression did not falter in the slightest.

"Yep, you're the real Phineas." Isabella concluded and went back to work. Phineas turned his head forward to think for himself a bit before he finally gave up and shook his head, not seeing Isabella take one last coy gaze at him.

* * *

><p>A Friday afternoon later, Phineas found himself sitting in the kitchen sitting at the small dining table. His was fidgeting his fingers as he frustratingly stared at what was in front of him. There on the table was a single blank piece of paper he had found; to the right of it a pencil and protractor. The young red head's mind was shifting and molding with thoughts, albeit slightly aching. Several minutes ago, Phineas had woken up from a nap with a sudden burst of imagination that seemingly came from nowhere. He realized the already fleeting opportunity and immediately rose from the bed in search for paper and a writing utensil. He managed to pull a piece of blank paper from a paper stack, grab a pencil to write with, and even was lucky enough to discover a protractor along the way.<p>

That was 20 minutes ago.

Phineas groaned as he plunked his forehead on the table, sending dull pain into his already aching head. Closing his eyes, he tried again to initiate that source of natural inspiration he had when he was young. Even now as he struggled for innovative motivation, Phineas couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to come up with ideas like that before.

The unexpected ringing of the home phone tore Phineas out of his vain concentration. He forced himself away from the table and walked over to the phone, snatching it in mid-ring.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Phineas, it's me."_ a familiar scratchy voice greeted.

"Me who?" Phineas asked with feign innocence.

"_Dinna Bell!"_

"I'm kidding Buford," Phineas chuckled, "what's up?"

"_Do you think you and Isabella could uh…"_ Buford spoke, drawing out the last word for a few seconds before lapsing into silence. Phineas pulled the phone away from his ear to check if they were still connected.

"Buford?"

"_Join me and Adyson next Friday…to…see a…movie? At the Googolplex Mall?"_ Buford's reluctant voice asked.

"I'll have to ask her about it," Phineas replied, completely naïve of Buford's hesitant tone, "but it'll most likely be a yes if Isabella isn't busy."

"_Oh…okay,"_ Buford sighed before his attention was directed at somebody else on his end of the call, _"Wha...? No! We already asked Dinna Bell!_" Phineas immediately winced and drew back the phone as Buford unintentionally shouted into the speaker.

"_Grrr, fine I'll ask him! Phineas you still on?"_

"Yes," Phineas replied as he brought the phone back to his hear, which was ringing from Buford's shouting, "yes I am."

"_Would it be possible for you to invite Ferb?"_ Buford muttered.

"Sure, I'll let him know as soon as I can." Phineas answered happily.

"_Alright then, see ya later,"_ Buford said before adding a few more words at the end, _"by the way, this was all Adyson's idea."_

Phineas cringed when he heard a loud _thwap_ on the other end of the call, instantly followed by Buford's griping. The call ended shortly after that. Now faced with something to look forward to, Phineas walked off to another part of the house to make a call, his mind already forgetting about the pencil, paper, and protractor on the kitchen table.

* * *

><p><strong>AT THE FLYNN-FLETCHER HOUSEHOLD…<strong>

Ferb was heading down the all-too familiar stairway of the Flynn-Fletcher household when his cell phone began to ring in his pocket. Upon hearing the ringtone, Ferb smoothly pulled out his cell phone and answered his step-brother's call, cutting off the _Gitchie Gitchie Goo_ ringtone.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Ferb, it's me!"_ Phineas' excited voice answered.

Ferb shifted the cell phone to his other hand as he disembarked from the stairway and went into the kitchen. It was Perry's dinner time.

"_Are you busy this Friday?" _Phineas asked.

Ferb glanced at the calendar that was dangled on the refrigerator door from a magnet. After confirming today's date, Ferb's eyes snapped over to the upcoming Friday; it was free of any scheduled events.

"_That's great!"_ Phineas exclaimed, _"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies with us at the Googolplex Mall."_

Ferb raised an eyebrow as he opened the refrigerator and reached for the canned platypus food. As usual routine, a middle-aged platypus wandered from the living room and plopped himself down right next to his food bowl. Perry's eyes aimlessly stared in opposite directions as he waited for his chow.

"_Adyson, Buford, Isabella and I are going." _Phineas continued as Ferb was twisting a can-opener. Ferb mentally counted the people attending in his head as he removed the opened top. Perry's growling stomach was barely audible to Ferb's hearing.

"_You could bring someone along,"_ Phineas suggested, _"that way you don't have to worry about being a fifth wheel."_

Ferb nodded his head as he dumped the platypus chow into Perry's food bowl. Perry slowly leaned forward and started to munch down his grub, showing no signs of satisfaction or distaste; just his ordinary, average, unsuspicious look.

"_So you do you plan on bringing?"_ Phineas humorously questioned.

Ferb smiled and rolled his eyes in response, earning a chuckle from his red-headed step-brother.

"_Alright, alright," _Phineas added with feign defeat, _"see you Friday."_

Ferb was about to hang up when Phineas' voice caught his attention again.

"_Hey Ferb, where's Perry?"_

Ferb knelt down next to the munching platypus and held the phone right in front of him. Perry paused from his meal time and gulped down his food.

"Grrgrrgrrrgrr."

"_Oh, there you are Perry,"_ Phineas said to his pet platypus. _"See ya Friday night, Ferb."_ Ferb heard the phone call end as he brought himself up and put away his phone.

"Huh…I didn't even have to say anything." Ferb remarked as he went back to his daily life.

* * *

><p><strong>THAT FRIDAY NIGHT…<strong>

After Isabella said that she was all clear for Friday night, Phineas was eagerly anticipating the upcoming day. His bubbling excitement, however, was contained by his calm demeanor; otherwise, he would be speculating about the date constantly. Instead, Phineas found himself cool about the whole thing and was ready to seize the night.

'I just hope this turns out to be a good night.' Phineas faintly thought as he rode his V-Rod motorcycle through traffic. Isabella was sitting behind him and clamping her arms around his waist to hold on. Unlike Phineas, who was wearing Chopper sunglasses, Isabella wore a motorcycle helmet.

"What movie are we gonna see again?" Isabella asked over the jutting V-Rod engines. The question brought up a revelation to Phineas. How could he have failed to ask?

"I don't know, actually." Phineas answered back as they neared the Googolplex Mall.

Pulling into the massive parking lot, Phineas drove over to the motorcycle parking area and found a spot. Isabella disembarked and removed her helmet as Phineas cut the ignition off and parked his ride. Stepping off his ride, Phineas was greeted with arms outstretched towards him with a helmet.

"Please?" Isabella asked cutely. Phineas rolled his eyes with a smile as he accepted her helmet. The young boy tucked his girlfriend's helmet underneath his arm; having a feeling that somehow it would be a delirious chore to keep track of the object throughout the night. As two then started walking towards the mall's busy entrance bustling with people, Phineas' eye drifted over towards the clear front area of the mall.

Memories surfaced in his head as he remembered the last incident that had occurred several months ago, though it seemed longer than so. The young red-head could still recall the bruise spots he had received and the faint imagery of red droplets of Trent's blood that had been spilt. It felt odd recalling the events now, especially since he and Trent had long made up for what happened.  
>Although, Phineas did wonder what Cullen had said to Trent that night to make him cool down and apologize.<p>

"Buford and Adyson are waiting in the Food Court," Isabella spoke as she checked the text messages on her phone, drawing Phineas out of his reminiscing, "and Ferb is on his way with his date."

"Can you ask them what movie we're seeing?" Phineas requested, tearing his attention away from the former brawl grounds. Phineas watched as Isabella's fingers tap away on her phone's screen as she texted. He wanted to point out that calling would have been much more quicker than texting, but somewhat aware of the social media norm, Phineas thought not to bother with it. Holding the door open for Isabella, the two of them entered the Googolplex Mall and immediately headed off to the Food Court.

* * *

><p><strong>AT THE FOOD COURT…<strong>

Phineas spotted the bickering couple sitting in one of the table booths as he and Isabella started to walk over. Adyson was busy texting away on her phone while Buford was chomping down on a bag of chips. Though it wasn't an impossible feat, Phineas noted that Buford and Adyson were not arguing at this very moment, which was an uncommon occurrence between the two. Buford spotted the two of them approaching and raised his eyebrows in recognition.

"Hrr! Whrr yu uys bin?" was all that came out of Buford's chip filled mouth. Looking up from her phone, Adyson gave Buford a pointed look before she lashed out her foot underneath the table and kicked Buford's shin. Buford straightened himself up in his seat and glared at his girlfriend.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Adyson snapped firmly before she shifted her attention to Isabella and Phineas. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Adyson!" Isabella greeted Adyson jumped out of her seat and gave her a hug, to which she returned, "What'cha doin?"

Phineas felt his heart flutter when he heard Isabella say her catchphrase.

"Aside from waiting on Ferb? Trying to decide what movie to see," Adyson replied with crossed arms, "because _someone_ forgot the look up the movie times."

"How was I suppose to know I was choosing the movie?" Buford demanded after he finished eating his chips and wiped his lips with his arm. Adyson rolled her eyes and spotted a familiar sight of a green haired boy accompanied by two others. Adyson's widen stare caught the attention of everyone else and they turned to see; their eyes also widened at the sight.

Ferb was dressed as he normally would for a Friday movie night, but that wasn't what caught everyones' gawking attention. Ferb was straightly in between two girls, a blonde and a red head; each of them smiling and hooking their arms with Ferb's, respectively. They were rubbing up and down Ferb's arms, though Ferb seemed to pay no mind to them. Though it came no surprise to Phineas, knowing his step-brother was a ladies' man, he was still stunned that Ferb would actually bring two dates with him.

Ferb offered the gang an apologetic look for being late.

"Oh these must be your friends!" the red haired girl exclaimed and then playfully added, "You girls try not to take our man now hear?" She and the other girl giggled as they snuggled up against Ferb, who merely rolled his eyes with disinterest. Phineas could already tell that all of this affectionate attention Ferb was receiving from both of the girls was only bothersome to his step-brother.

Isabella absent mindedly took a protective step closer to Phineas, who had managed to snap out of his initial stupor.  
>Buford on the other hand continued to stare until Adyson elbowed him in the ribs.<p>

"So…what movie are we seeing?" the blonde girl asked them. The question was brought back to the group's attention. Adyson and Isabella pondered over the options while the Phineas and Buford thought about it.  
>Ferb would've also liked to speak his thoughts, but the two girls playing and snuggling against his arms were too distracting for him to focus, and not in a good way. Ferb tightened his lips as he thought that inviting these two girls was a mistake.<p>

"How about _Hell Match_?" Buford suggested. Everyone, except Ferb's two dates, glanced at Buford, who could care less about everyone's stares.

"A lore movie about a gladiator fighting his way to the top against foes for his freedom?" Adyson elaborated unimpressed.

"Uh, yeah?" Buford replied.

There was a beat of silence.

"Sure."

"Yeah!"

"Fine."

"Hell yeah!"

"..."

"What? I couldn't resist making the pun."

_Thwapp!_

"Ow!"

* * *

><p><strong>LATER IN THE THEATER…<strong>

Phineas was quietly watching the movie on the big screen while munching down on his popcorn, savoring the buttery taste of not-too-salty popcorn, and keeping an eye on Isabella's motorcycle helmet next to him. Isabella sat right next to him, their hands intertwined on the armrest.

Buford and Adyson were sitting a few seats down the row, watching the movie and, surprisingly, not arguing. The only incident that had happen within the first 20 minutes of the movie between the belligerent couple was Adyson snatching away Buford's bag of chips because he was eating too loud. Other than that, the two of them were sitting back and enjoying the movie.

Ferb was sitting a few rows behind Phineas and Isabella with his two dates, silently watching the action on screen. His mind was so mesmerized on the movie that he was paying no attention to the girls who had lifted the armrests and were snuggling against Ferb. Ferb paid no mind nor care to them.

Phineas was contently watching the movie when he suddenly noticed Isabella's stir in her seat. She leaned in closer to Phineas, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Whadya think of the movie?" Isabella asked in a hushed tone.

"I think that the protagonist is going to win." Phineas whispered back, watching at the main character deflected a blow with his shield and countered with a stab.

"How can you be so sure?" Isabella asked as she watched the main character's opponent grab the sword and toss it away with ease. Phineas waited till he finished munching on the handful of popcorn before he replied back.

"It _is _a movie after all." Phineas emphasized, watching the protagonist maneuver his shield to block a punch from his opponent.

"That doesn't mean the protagonist can win," Isabella pointed out, "for all we know, the protagonist could lose this battle."

"I don't think the director would purposely kill off the main protagonist," Phineas reasserted, "just because-"

The sound of ripping flesh boomed and a terrorizing cry of pain boomed out of the theater's giant surround sound speakers, accompanied by the roaring cheers of the in-movie crowd. Phineas watched feebly as the opponent drove his spear straight through the protagonist's chest and the seriously bleeding protagonist drop to his knees. With a sinister smile, the opponent gripped the spear and wrenched it out of the protagonist's chest. Phineas sat in his seat dumbfounded while Isabella smirked all knowingly.

"Look at that, I was right." Isabella giggled as Phineas sullenly reflected on fate's irony.

"No way!" Adyson shouted at the top of her voice from her seat. Buford hooted and hollered with victory right next to her. Apparently, Buford and Isabella held the same pool of movie logic when it came to director movie tactics.

Up in his high altitude of seating, Ferb blinked at what had transpired on screen.

"A rather bold direction for a movie." Ferb observed as he continued to watch the movie.  
>The two girls next to him only snuggled closer to him at the sound of his voice.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>LATER…<strong>

When the plot-twisting movie finally ended, the gang made their way back to the Food Court to satisfy their stomachs. Isabella, Adyson, and Ferb's two dates found their way to one end of the Food Court, no doubtingly to get away from the boys' earshot for some girl-talk, while the three young men sat at the other end. While the two step-brothers ate civilized as Buford was stuffing his face with his cheeseburger and chomping away.

"Suh gys," Buford began to talk with a mouth full of food, "wu id yu hink uf th ovie?" The two step-brothers stopped eating and shared a glance with each other.

"Uh, come again?" Phineas requested quizzically. Buford rolled his eyes and swallowed the food in his mouth.

"I said…" Buford repeated, "what did you think of the movie?"

"Oh, well I thought that plot twist at the near the end was strange." Phineas answered.

"The first one or the second one?"

"The second one."

Buford took a slurp from his slushie to ponder something.

"If there are an even number of plot twists, does that mean that they cancel each other out?"

"Not necessarily."

Ferb swayed his head side to side and shrugged.

"Yeah, that's a good point Ferb."

Buford glanced over at Ferb peculiarly before turning back to Phineas.

"What did he say?" Buford asked, swearing to himself that Ferb hadn't said anything at all.

"He said that it depends on the overall story and how the movie wants to portray itself as." Phineas repeated. Buford's puzzled expression turned sour within a second.

"Oh, so you can understand silence but you can't understand me with a full mouth?" Buford scoffed before grabbing a handful of fries and stuffing them into his mouth. Phineas sheepishly smiled and shrugged.

"That romantic subplot was a little bit of a waste though." Ferb admitted.

"Oh yeah," Phineas laughed, "that love story was too corny for my liking."

"Ih hink th tory wud-"

"Buford, your food." Phineas interrupted with a flat expression. Buford glared at Phineas as he forced a loud gulp.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted," Buford continued, "I think they could've done the romance better instead of just sticking it in there." Phineas nodded in agreement before he went back to finishing his hotdog. Say what you wanted about Buford, but he has always had a brain of sophistication beneath his bulk; far beneath his bulk. Idly, Phineas' eyes drifted to the corner of his sight, focusing on the girls chatting on the far side of the Food Court.

"Speaking of romance and sticking it in there, how are you and Isabella doing?" Buford asked nonchalantly.

That whole sentence shattered Phineas' concentration and forced himself to stare at Buford with widen eyes.

"Well…I-I, uh.." Phineas stammered.  
>Unbeknownst to him, a light red blush was showing on his cheeks. "We're spending a lot of time together…and s-stuff…but we haven't actually…" His sentence drawled out near the end. Phineas felt his feelings swirl from embarrassment bearing down on him. This wasn't a topic that he had never really discussed. Sure he thought about it sometimes, but those were only idle thoughts that he cleared as fast as they came; a task that was becoming more difficult every time.<p>

"Oh, so you guys haven't." Buford finished for him, acting like it was any other normal conversation. The red-headed boy's awkward silence and bashful expression gave Buford all the answers he needed.  
>Phineas desperately wanted to change the topic to something else to avoid all of the embarrassment of the situation. He gave a pleading look to Ferb to bail him out of the topic, but was dismayed when he saw that Ferb was actually taking an interest in the conversation. Ferb caught Phineas' beseeching glance and gave him a sympathetic nod. Phineas immediately breathed a sigh of relief that he was holding in.<br>Ferb was right; if they were young adults, they needed to behave like them.

"Have you and Adyson?" Phineas heard his mouth ask, curiosity getting the better of him. Buford's nonchalant expression shifted into a sharp glare at Phineas. Seeing that look made Phineas want to shrink in his seat, wishing he hadn't asked that question. Before he could take it back, Buford lessened his death glare and willingly began to speak.

"If you weren't my friend, I'd tell you to piss off," Buford stated in all seriousness, "but because I've known you for this long Dinna Bell, I'll tell you…and if I hear you spreading this around, I'll punch in that head of yours."  
>Phineas felt his anger spike but reminded himself of the reason behind Buford's threat.<p>

"Fair enough."

"Alright," Buford exhaled, "to answer your question: yes we had sex before; but that doesn't mean I am encouraging between you and Isabella."

"Thanks?" Phineas replied.

"It's gotta come naturally between you two, not forced upon you because of bullshit social trend," Buford continued, waving his slushie in the air for emphasis, "otherwise it just ain't right."

"So how do you know when it is right?" Phineas asked. His curiosity had fully replaced his timidity as he intriguingly listened to what Buford had to say.  
>Yet there was a small dawning upon Phineas: he was listening to Buford on advice about sex. Of all of the things to listen for advice on, it had to be about procreation.<p>

"That, my friend, I cannot answer." Buford finished. Phineas' curiosity had taken complete control to the point that he still wanted to ask questions. Not about the details of what he and Adyson did, but rather the details of the act itself. How did it feel? Was there any advice that he could give him? How long did it last? How should he handle himself when the time came? But Phineas could tell that this topic of the conversation was over, judging how Buford went back to chowing down and Ferb finished off the rest of his food.

"Says the bully who's giving out advice." Ferb added with a faint smile. Phineas snickered at the irony while Buford once again glared at the green-haired male.

"Shut it, Ferb." Buford warned, never taking his eyes off of him.

Ferb merely rolled his eyes and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Before the gender-based conversation could go on, the three guys heard shrieks coming from the other side of the Food Court. Their heads whipped around to the source and saw Ferb's two dates soaked and covered in ice. Isabella had gotten up and was storming away from the table while Adyson was getting out of her seat to follow suit. Phineas' glance was shifting back and forth between Isabella's rage-filled eyes and the two girls behind her who were desperately trying to dry off their phones with napkins, looking as if they were at the brink of losing it. When Ferb's two dates started cursing and calling out profanity at Isabella, Phineas' attention reverted to Isabella and Adyson who had made their way to their table.

"Ferb, I need to have a talk with you about your choice of 'dates'." Isabella scowled loud enough for the whole table to hear, not even looking at them as she walked over to Ferb. Ferb stuck his index finger in the air and opened his mouth to say something, but Isabella grabbed his raised hand and pulled him out of his seat, dragging him towards the Mall's exit. Confused, Phineas and Buford got up from their seats to follow while Adyson folded her arms and watched Isabella go. Nearly forgetting, Phineas quickly picked up Isabella's helmet before joining them.

"What was that all about?" Phineas wondered, looking to Adyson for some answers. Adyson forced out an exhale and rolled her eyes. Phineas felt the all-too familiar sense of stifling confusion and ignorance loom over him; something he was working hard to wean himself off of.

"Isabella can explain it better than I can." Adyson huffed and went after Isabella currently giving Ferb an earful as she dragged him out. For some reason Phineas doubted that, but seeing the way his girlfriend was getting after Ferb, he could only guess how Adyson was feeling. Phineas exchanged a look with Buford, who merely shrugged to express his utter bewilderment. Without a word, the two followed Adyson, leaving behind the Food Court and the two soaked girls breaking into hysteria over their ruined outfits, makeup, and cell phones.

* * *

><p><strong>LATER THAT NIGHT…<strong>

The ride home was tense to say the least. The gang had hastily said their goodbyes and left the Googolplex Mall. Phineas rode off on his motorcycle with Isabella gripping his waist behind him, Buford and Adyson left in Buford's truck, and Ferb drove home and left his two dates behind.  
>It was unusually uncharacteristic of his step-brother, but Phineas had a hunch that he had his reasons, especially after the rant that Isabella gave him in private. Speaking of which, he noted that Isabella hadn't said a word since they left the parking lot.<p>

"Mind telling me what happened back there?" Phineas asked loud enough to hear as he kept his eyes on the road and ears open. He listened carefully over the loud engine of his motorcycle for Isabella's answer, but she only gripped tighter around Phineas' waist. Phineas pressed his lips together as he waited for her answer.

"I'll tell you when we get home." he heard Isabella's voice finally say. Instincts told him to not let up and persist on persuading her to tell him now, but Phineas felt his mind and a part of his heart telling him to be patient and wait till they returned home. Judging on how Isabella sunk back into silence after her words, Phineas decisively chose the latter.

The rest of the ride home was irritably quiet. Phineas couldn't help but grit his teeth in anticipation as he unlocked the door and both of them entered. The troubled look on Isabella's face and lack of words only edged Phineas on to find out what was up. When the two of them were settled down, Phineas found himself sitting in the living room at one end of the couch while Isabella sat on the other. Finally having enough of the thick silence around them, Phineas decided to start them off.

"So…" Phineas lamely broke the silence. Isabella sighed and leaned on the couch's armrest.

"Promise to be honest with me?" Isabella finally spoke since they left the mall. Her words made it feel as if someone swapped a weight on his shoulders with another weight.

"Of course."

"Do you like my body?" Isabella asked, intentionally. Phineas shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he tried to answer her question without letting his eyes wander over the topic in discussion.

"N-yes, yes I do," Phineas corrected himself before he denied what his subtle thoughts and behavior reflected in recent times, "Why do you ask?" He had a hunch to where this conversation was leading. Isabella gave a faint smile before she turned her head and stared grimly in front of her, lost in thought.

"Back at the Food Court, after we had finished our food," Isabella began, "Adyson and I were talking about the movie while Ferb's dates were talking about gossip and busy on their phones. Which then eventually led to them asking us questions about the little incident with Selena."

Phineas mentally winced at the last name in the sentence and what memories of her came with it. A faint smile crossed Isabella's face as she angled her head towards Phineas.

"First they congratulated me on teaching Selena a lesson to not mess with 'my man', but then they asked why was I still with you after what had happened. I told them the truth, but they barely believed it. They're still under the impression that you're a 'bad-boy heartbreaker' and said that you probably kissed Selena because you're a guy with desires; but I know you better than that." Isabella paused to give an understanding smile towards Phineas, which brightened his mood after hearing what people still thought of him.

"But they insisted that they knew your type and warned me about how you would end up cheating on me _again_ and how I should find a better boyfriend. I told them that they didn't know you for who you really are, but they argued against every point I made. I said you were smart, they said you were deceptive; I pointed out that you were kind and considerate, they summarized that you were putting on a front; I told them that you were mature for your age, but they said that you were just like any other typical young 18 year-old adult who is only focused on having fun."

"You think I'm mature?" Phineas interrupted, taken aback from her statement. Isabella gave Phineas a firm look before she backed her statement.

"Phineas, you and Ferb are the most mature guys I know. Even though we both know you weren't a year ago, you certainly are now." Isabella explained, "It's like you left Danville as a teenaged delinquent and returned a year later as a paragon in progress. Whatever Cullen had in mind for you must've worked."

Phineas' mind started to reel back to all the events that had transpired up to this point, but Isabella's voice cut him off.

"By then I was furious. It's one thing to talk trash about me, but it's crossing the line when somebody bad-mouths my friend, nevertheless my _boyfriend_ for that matter. I honestly wanted to walk over to them and give them a piece of my mind. Adyson tried to intervene and make them stop, but those girls only started to criticize Adyson's choice of Buford. Then they started bragging about how Ferb was a _real_ man and how he would treat them right. If by a _real man _they meant that he could satisfy their needs whenever they needed it, then sure, Ferb is a _real man_. They gave no considerate thought to who Ferb really was, and he would never do the sorta things they wanted him to do. That was when I snapped. I took the lid off my cup and soaked them in ice." Isabella concluded with a sigh.

Phineas let the information sink in, deciding how he should word his opinion properly.

"I know I overreacted," Isabella admitted, strain apparent in her voice, "but I'm sick and tired of everyone saying things about you and me." She propped her head on her hand and raked her hair with her fingers as she thought to herself. Phineas could see in her eyes that she was struggling internally and scooted over to her side to comfort her. Isabella automatically shifted her seating and laid into Phineas' body as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She let out a sigh of exhaustion while Phineas gently tightened their embrace. Her aroma was intoxicating to Phineas, not that he minded.

"What's done is done," Phineas affirmed, referring to Isabella's overreaction, "and we can only move forward." There was a spur of seriousness in his chest to which he felt as if whatever words he could say next would be words of wisdom.

"Besides," he comforted, "who cares about what they say? We both know the truth." Isabella's tired expression vanished as she reached up and squeezed Phineas' hand on her shoulder. Her eyes slowly locked with his and a cute smile formed on her lips. The look on her face made Phineas felt like his heart skipped a beat.

"I know," Isabella said, nuzzling her head under his, "I'm just getting it out of my head." Phineas wanted to melt, but something about being the guy in their relationship held him back from embracing the feelings. His trail of thought was lost when Isabella planted a kiss on his neck.

"Umm, Isabella?"

Isabella stopped kissing Phineas right before she landed one on his lips.

"Yes?"

"What's brought that about?" referring to the kiss she just gave him.

"Do I need a reason to kiss my boyfriend?"

Phineas actually took a moment to think.

"Uhh…no, no you don't."

And with that, Isabella locked her lips with Phineas'. Unlike many other kisses before that they have shared, this one held passionate desire as Isabella's mouth roamed over Phineas'. Isabella's hand reached up and dug her nails into the fabric of his shirt, grabbing a hold of his chest. The young red-headed adult was completely unaware of these apparent details, seeing that he was losing himself in this newfound experience of desire. This desirable feeling felt natural and had was prodding his body to do something he was unsure of. Before any of this could overcome him, his lack of air held the main priority, forcing him to reluctantly break away from the kiss. Through his shallow gasps for air, Phineas leaned his forward onto Isabella's, who faced the similar need to breath as well.

"I love you Isabella." Phineas found himself confessing. His mind was in no shape for any coherent thoughts after what had happen. Isabella giggled and pecked his nose with a small kiss.

"You, too, Phineas." Isabella breathed, cuddling closer in Phineas' embrace.

* * *

><p>These little romantic moments between the two continued on after that night, each more intense after another. Kissers were held longer, gazes began to linger, and every little caress and grasp that Phineas and Isabella shared felt more enticing with every squeeze. Slowly and surely, Phineas could feel himself being overcome with love and found it increasingly difficult to dismiss his desires every time. Something inside Phineas told him to simply enjoy all of this attention, to which he was, but also something was warning him to not lose control over himself. Otherwise…<p>

Phineas' head swirled around to the sound of the front door unlocking. Even though he knew who it was, he wanted to keep himself ready for in the case he didn't know. Thankfully he knew the person entering into his household.

"Hey Phineas," Isabella greeted as she locked the door behind her, "whatcha dooin'?"

"Working on something." Phineas replied, looking down at the little sketches that he had doodled throughout the day. He was getting somewhere with his pencil and protractor on the paper, but he still had no idea what he was exactly drawing. At the moment, he was merely trying to fire off his neurons to jumpstart his brain and hopefully his imagination.

Phineas paused for a moment.

'Where did that come from?' he marveled to himself. His thoughts were lost when Isabella walked over to him and draped her arm around him. Tenderly, she kissed his temple and stared at down the paper.

"Whatcha drawing?"

"Oh…just projects." Phineas managed to say after he recovered his attentiveness. Isabella raised an eyebrow and pressed her lips together.

"They don't look like projects, no offense." Isabella noted, leaning her head on Phineas.

"Yeah, I'm still working on it." Phineas admitted, to which Isabella gave him an assuring rub.

"You'll come up with an idea that will work soon," Isabella guaranteed and slowly slipped away, "speaking of work, I have a _lot_ of homework I need to get working on."

"Can I help?" Phineas asked, tracking Isabella's movements with her eyes.

"Not this time, I gotta do this work myself," Isabella replied calmly, "but you can join me later."

It was something in her tone that Phineas couldn't quite pin that made him wonder what she was up to. Usually, she would welcome his help with homework, especially since the end of her school year was rapidly approaching with every passing day. The sudden change of habit made him suspicious, but Phineas casually dismissed it as his mind being paranoid and went back to his makeshift blueprints.

Picking up the pencil, Phineas resumed his sketching, pouring out whatever bit of imagination he could onto the paper. After a few minutes of aimless drawing, his eyes scanned each doodle; none of these drawings could form a plausible project, or at least a project of such magnitude that Phineas knew he had the potential for. The red-head groaned, threw himself forward, and landed his head in his folded out forearms, not once letting go of the pencil. There was a long exasperated sigh that followed shortly.

"Maybe I should give up." Phineas muttered under his breath. He momentarily released the mental reigns on his brain and allowed his mind to flow translucently. Meanwhile, his eyes slowly darted around the room, emptily examining every shape and figure. Phineas yawned as he let his mind rest and give into its laziness. For a second, Phineas remembered how his thoughts had become sluggish because of inactivity. Just as soon as his mind experienced a slothful sensation, it was gone; replaced by a subtle drive to complete this blueprint. Phineas took a deep breath and picked his head up. Feeling mentally refreshed to some degree, Phineas glanced at his little doodles.

"Wait a second..." Phineas stated to no one in particular. Attention snapped into his eyes as they studied each and every little detail of his doodles. Gripping his pencil, he began drawing, his eyes flying back and forth between his previous sketches and this new one. His mind rapidly dissected each little detail of the scattered drawings, trimming away the excessive doodles and obtaining the main points he needed. Graphite loudly scraped against paper, translating Phineas' thoughts into visuals he so desired. Soon enough, Phineas faintly realized that he was actually forming a blueprint, his first one in too many years. Realization of this alone gave him more energy to keep at it. His thoughts streamed through his brain as he added and erased lines until his newly made drawing began to take form of an actual project blueprint. Phineas felt like he was going mad with intelligence.

"Hey Phineas?!" Isabella's voice from somewhere interrupted his progress. His concentration was shattered and inspiration quickly deteriorating against his wishes.

"Yes?!" Phineas called back.

"Can you come help me with something?"

He was torn between getting up and running to her assistance and staying put in his seat to regain his momentum for planning. Glancing at his actual blueprint and back towards Isabella's direction, Phineas felt his mind struggle to decide. He could either remain here and work on his project or go and help Isabella with whatever she needed. It was a choice of doing what he wanted versus doing something he didn't hold as much priority that moment. Out of nowhere, his conscience recalled that relationships are filled with compromises.

"I'm on the way!" Phineas called back as he set his pencil down on the paper and got out of his seat. As he made his way through the house, he could feel the last of the inspiration slip away. He was relieved, however, that he had somehow managed to ignite the spark of creativity he had once again. Now knowing that he could, Phineas was confident that he could reignite it once again in the future. Approaching the door, Phineas wondered what Isabella needed his help for, recalling that she didn't want to be disturbed earlier. Grabbing the doorknob, Phineas twisted the door open and stepped into the lighted room.

"Whatcha need help with Is…sa..b…" Phineas trailed off abruptly, his eyes widening at what he saw.

Isabella was lying down sidewise across the bed in nothing but a pink bikini bottom piece. Every other part of her body was unclothed and bare for him to see. Phineas' eyes uncontrollably gazed upon Isabella's seemingly perfect breasts, her shape and form being warmly seared into his memory. Her belly was toned and her legs were long and slender. His gaze slowly traced over every curve along her hips, legs, and shoulders, his face turning read as his eyes somehow always made their way back to his girlfriend's breasts, especially her perking nipples. Her skin and hair looked ever-so erotic from the glow of the light emanating from above. Heat had flushed into his cheeks and his heart swell with yearning and anxiousness. The look on his face was all that Isabella needed to know that she had his full attention.

"Hey Phineas." Isabella flirtously welcomed. She gracefully drew up her left leg to show off more of her leg, resulting in Phineas' breath being taken away once again. After what felt like an eternity, Phineas' mind snapped out of its stupor and put together a response.

"H-hey, Isabella," Phineas sputtered out, his nerves racking together to give him some self confidence in his voice, "d-did I come at a…wrong…time?"

Said confidence was dwindling as fast as it came with Isabella posing almost entirely naked in front of him.

Isabella giggled as she slowly pushed herself up off the bed and stood up. Phineas was mesmerized at the way her breasts bounced faintly as she stood up. With a smile, she strutted over to him, intentionally putting more sway into her hips. He was aware that the fabric of his pants was tightening as a bulge became apparent in his front, but Phineas was too flustered to even care. All he could do was gaze upon the love of his life as she approached with just about everything exposed to him and only him.

"Well? Whatd'ya think?" Isabella asked innocently as she twirled around, bringing into view her bare back and rear into view. Phineas' eyes traced her shoulders, down her back, and over her rear. He could've sworn his bulge gotten bigger and his hips jerked a little as he gawked at the pink bikini bottom covering up her bubbly and firm looking bottom. Isabella reached up behind her and swished her hair out, striking a pose with her hips jutting out to her side. With that movement, Phineas could feel something deep inside him crave to reach out with his hands and grasp his girlfriend's butt. Her sexy…beautiful…gorgeous…fine as fu-

"Phineas?" Isabella asked, turning around to face him, shifting his passion to touch from her rear to her chest. Realizing his silence, he stomached his urges and spoke.

"No words can describe you right now." Phineas replied softly. Looking up at Isabella's eyes, he was met with a slightly confused look from her.  
>Thinking back on what he said, he smiled.<p>

"I meant that in a good way." Phineas corrected. Isabella's look melted into a smile as she reached out and took his hands and put them on her hips. Phineas felt her soft and warm skin touch his fingers, which responded by digging in carefully but very affirming. There was a tiny awareness that his fingers had snuck their way into the sides of the bikini bottom; a simply tug would've brought down the swimsuit piece, and Phineas knew it all too well. Isabella smiled as she weaved her hands around Phineas' side. Not even looking at her body, Phineas' eyes locked with Isabella's, never once batting an eyelash. Phineas almost forgot about her body and felt the need to kiss her beautiful and perfect face.

"Phineas," Isabella spoke, her voice sounding like an angel's to Phineas' ears, washing away all of his nervousness, "we've been through a lot, both of us. I wanted to thank you for everything that you've done for me."

"You didn't have to get naked for me to say thank you." Phineas joked with a smile. Isabella smiled as she leaned up and kissed his chin.

"I'm doing this because I love you, Phineas Flynn." she declared calmly, now lathering him in passionate kisses and speaking in between each one, "I _love _you…I _want_ you…I _need_ you…"

Hesitantly, Phineas started to kiss back as each kiss brought about a whole new sensation for him. His mind immediately warned him where this was going, and instructed that he should…

A kiss.

He was losing his thoughts with every kiss that Isabella gave him. He had to have enough concentration in order to stop…

Another kiss.

"Isabella…" Phineas moaned quietly as she planted an endearing kiss on his neck. Faintly, he could feel her hands unbuckling his belt and her fingers reaching into his pants, tugging down the fabric. Unlike the incident at the club, Phineas' body welcomed the touch in his pants.

"Please…" Phineas breathed, but his voice was silenced by Isabella's lips. His hands started to tug down at the only piece of clothing left on Isabella.

But they were both…

A more passionate kiss; fingers rubbed against skin and clothing became loose.

If they were going to do this they needed…

Isabella's warm body pressed against his, her soft breasts and hard nipples rubbing against his chest, which somehow had lost its shirt amidst the passion.

'…what did Buford say about sex coming naturally?'

Isabella kissed him once more, and Phineas lost control to a tidal wave of bliss.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Sigh…this chapter was long overdue. I'm not even sure if any readers from before are still here…<strong>

**I would like to apologize for the several year delay for updating. Some of the circumstances included, but not limited to: sleep deprived for 3 months, death of my beloved dog, maintaining my grades, procrastination, work, college applications (and not getting into my dream college), school projects piling up, heart-rendering heartbreak from being blindsided, addiction (to a computer game…don't do drugs people), being a victim of vandalization robbery (someone broke into my truck and stole my backpack with my completed Finals review), dealing with medical forms while I'm out of country (lots of phone calls and emails…), a painful week-long camp, more heartbreak…death of a family member in Ireland…disappointment…**

***cough***

**Yall get the point, shit went down. Taking a look back at then and now, I can easily say that all of this stress has put a year of aging on my face. But it is life, and we all gotta push through someway or another.**

**I would also like to apologize for making this particular chapter so long…there was no other way. Was it good? Was it bad? Feedback is encouraged and welcomed.**

**Again, I thank all of you for taking the time to read this story and leaving reviews. It is always beneficial to me to read your comments and your opinions so I can improve as an author (my grammar and sentence structure needs work, I know).**

**Happy New Year to all, and may 2015 bring us better times.**


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